Extraordinarily Odd
by Mythire
Summary: Rebecca Wright was the overweight odd girl in her Youth class. So when she meets Darien, a 169 year old vampire in the middle of a park, her life goes from odd to extraordinary. Only there's something hunting her now. Will Darien be able to protect her?
1. Chapter 1

~Disclaimer: The story, characters, and plot are all mine. Stephanie Meyer did influence my take on vampires, and Edward and Bella, who may be mentioned or may pop up in my story, belong to her.~

Chapter 1

The group chattered along, breaking the soothing silence of the park. Blue Christmas lights twirled and stretched up the bare branches of live oaks and pecan trees, giving the park an enchanted feeling. Gaps in the branches revealed a moonless but starry night. Silver pinpricks over an ink blotted sky.

One of the girls let out a giggling squeal that made the whole group peal into laughter. I sighed. All I wanted was to admire the beauty of the park in silence. I pulled my dark, grey trench coat tighter around my shoulders, watching my breath swirl around my face. The night was absolutely perfect. Except for my youth group in front of me. One of the girls turned and looked at me, smiling.

"Come on, Rebecca," Veronica yelled. I winced as the noise echoed through the trees, but I smiled and shook my head. Veronica shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the boy she had been flirting with. Embri and Lacy both looked back with apologetic smiles. I just smiled back and rolled my eyes. Both of the girls laughed quietly. At least they understood me. Veronica was too impatient to admire the beauty of the park, and too shallow to worry about anyone else but herself.

I drifted farther and farther away from the group, desperately trying to find an escape from the noise. And there it was. A small stone path wound its way deeper into the lighted trees, winter shrubs lining the walkway, creating a sheltered getaway. I sighed in relief as I stepped onto the walkway. Hands in pockets, I started off at a brisk walk, just trying to get away from the chattering. I realized the voices had soon faded away and the glowing trees had thickened. Just as I was starting to get worried, I saw a bench hidden by bushes. The bench hadn't been used in a while. Rusty, green iron curled and twisted as sculpted vines. Wooden slats that had grayed with age were covered in dead leaves. I brushed the leaves off on one side and settled down onto the ancient bench. Luckily, it didn't fall or break when my weight settled in.

I watched the people through the opening of the bushes, past the walkway, noting that none of them were very interesting. Then a lanky man walked out of some bushes not far away. At first he just stood there, then he started to walk this way. I probably should have gotten up right then, but I wasn't particularly worried that he was coming over to the bench. But as he started to get closer and closer, I realized the bench is exactly where he was headed. Instead of fleeing like I normally would, I settled in deeper into the seat. I had staked my claim and once the man realized that his seat was taken by an overweight teenager he'd probably skedaddle.

The man wasn't walking particularly fast so it took him a little longer than necessary to get over here. When he reached the bushes he stopped and stiffened. Looking up his eyes locked on mine. I couldn't see his eyes, they were covered by shadows, but the rest of his face showed surprise. I did not feel exceptionally friendly this evening, so instead of giving him my customary smile that I reserve for strangers, I stared him down, a slight frown on my face. Confusion flittered across his face. Poor man. It wasn't his fault that he happened to meet me when I was in a bad mood.

I sighed, then lowered my eyes to the ground. I thought I heard him make a move to leave, but then he stopped. Silence for a moment, then he started forward. Surprised that he decided to stay instead of leave made me look up right as he was passing under the glow of the blue lights.

I had to be hallucinating. No man could look like this, could be smiling at me like that, and he _was_ smiling at me. His skin was chalk white, faintly shimmering under the soft, blue glow of star and Christmas lights. His hair could have been brown, but under the cover of night and blue lights it was hard to tell. As he walked towards me I noticed that he wasn't as lean as I first thought, but he wasn't bulky either. But when he walked the first thing I noticed was that he walked with a predator's grace. Like a lion stalking its prey. That in itself should have unnerved me, but I was unusually calm as he came to stand a few feet away from me.

"May I sit with you?" He asked politely, still smiling a bit, but not showing his teeth. My eyes narrowed. A little voice inside of me was telling me that this man was dangerous and I should just get up and leave. I ignored them.

"Sure," I replied a little tartly, "it's not like I own the bench." I didn't feel afraid of this man, but I was a little surprised to hear the annoyance in my voice. Seriously, I had better manners than this.

His eyes widened a bit in surprise and confusion again, and I bet he heard the tone of my voice as well. He hesitantly walked over to the bench, standing there awkwardly for a moment, before brushing the rest of the dead leaves off the bench and sitting as far away from me as he possibly could. Now I felt guilty. He shifted around for a moment, getting comfortable.

"A beautiful night, isn't it?" He said it softly, glancing my way briefly, then turned to look out into the park. I still felt a little guilty for being rude, so I tried to give a semi-polite answer.

"It truly is," Semi-polite was layered with a hint of irritation. I sighed. Apparently I just wasn't up to being polite tonight. I decided if I couldn't look at him then I wouldn't have to make conversation. He didn't try to pick up the idle chit-chat.

He stayed silent as he surveyed the park, watching some passersby that were oblivious to are presence. His face, which I could see from the corner of my eye, was an interesting contrast of smooth lines and sharp angles, his nose perfectly straight. Aristocratic and rugged at the same time. His hair, brown or black I still could not tell, was flung carelessly about, as if the wind had gotten a hold of it, but it still had the look of being styled. His eyes were still covered by shadows, so as he watched the park I couldn't see what color they were.

"My name is Darien," he said suddenly. Caught by surprise I could only turn and stare at him for a few moments. He spoke quietly, softly, as if reluctant to break the silence. His voice was musical, I thought for a moment, then I mentally shook my head. When I answered him I spoke softly in kind.

"I'm Rebecca." He quirked an eyebrow and I fought to keep a smile off my face when I realized he was surprised that I had given him a polite answer. And for some reason that I couldn't explain, I felt unsatisfied by giving him my first name only. And I hardly knew this man. "Rebecca Wright." He gave me a small smile.

"And your middle name?" I could here the amusement in his voice, and I couldn't help but flirt. What happened to my sour mood?

"I'll let you guess," I teased, turning away from him to stare out into the park. He pursed his lips, turning away as well. He was contemplating his choices. For the first time this evening, I felt the first stirrings of hope that this Darien could actually like me. The hope faded fast though when I remembered reality. This man was like a living Greek god, at least, from the features that I could see in the dull light, he looked like one. And I was nothing but an overweight, teenager that no guy ever looked at twice. Why would Darien be interested in me?

"Give me a hint?" Darien asked, still looking outwards at the park. I had lost the mood to flirt, but I played along anyway.

"It starts with an A."

"An A, hmm…" He stared off into the night and I could practically hear the wheels in his head turning. Even though I had lost my desire to flirt, this was still fun.

"Anny," he guessed.

"No, but close."

"Anna."

"Nope, but still closer." I couldn't keep the smile from my face.

"Hmm…" He pursed his lips again and turned and looked at me. Almost as if he was studying me. I could feel the blush heating my skin and thanked the stars that the moon wasn't shining.

I saw when he got the answer. He visibly straightened and I saw a small confident smile playing on his lips.

"Anne, it's Anne isn't it." It wasn't a question. Yes, he was definitely confident. So I decided to play it up a bit. I shook my head and clucked a little. I saw his face go from confident to dismay. All of a sudden I lost all interest from playing the game. So instead of leading him along any further I gave him his answer.

"Yes, it's Anne," I said, and even I could hear the depression in my voice, "Rebecca Anne Wright." He looked confused in the sudden change in my voice, and he looked like he was about to ask what was wrong, when he froze, his eyes trained on something behind my back. I froze as well when I heard the bushes behind me move, and I heard something big take a step. Then something growled.

I lurched over to Darien, burying myself in his side. It was almost an instinctual move on my part, something telling me that even though I did not know this man, he would protect me from whatever the heck that was in the bushes. Darien put his arms around me, pulling me with him when he stood. I looked over at the bush that had moved and saw green eyes glowing. I heard a hissing sound from Darien, looked up at his face to see what was the matter, and saw that his eyes were faintly glowing as well, but were gold instead of green.

"Do you mind, very much, if I escorted you back to your group," Darien said suddenly, still looking into the bushes, his arms still around me.

"Not at all," I answered, my voice a little too high, "be my guest." I was too preoccupied with the bush to fully notice that he shouldn't have known I was with a group, but the sudden trembling and growling within the bushes thoroughly cut off my train of thought. I cringed closer to Darien and he tightened his arms around me, shifting so that he was more between the beast in the bushes and me.

The trembling intensified, loud snarling seemed to make the ground quake. Then I realized, horrified, that there was more than one of the things in the bushes. I heard a struggle, some more snarling and the snapping of teeth. Then I heard a loud thud and something like a bone breaking. Silence blanketed the area, and then a sound like something being dragged away broke the silence.

Darien and I stood there, staring at the bushes for a while. Darien never released me from his arms, and I never complained. The fear and adrenaline had faded away, leaving only questions behind. I had many questions and curious thoughts to voice but a more immediate thought came to mind.

"My friends will probably be worried," I whispered, still not making a move to get out of his arms. Darien only nodded, studying the now quiet bushes. Abruptly, he turned, pulling me with him along the pathway. After a while he released me but held out his arm like a gentlemen. I tucked my hand into his elbow and put my other hand on top of it. He seemed relaxed, but the slight turning of his head from side to side let me know that he was watching for something.

I wanted to ask Darien if he knew what that beast was in the bushes. And it _was_ a beast. No dog, no matter how rabid or crazy, growled like that. And dogs eyes didn't glow green.

"How old are you, Rebecca," Darien asked, looking straight ahead. Distracted I answered him.

"Seventeen."

He looked down at me then, a disbelieving frown on his face.

"What?" I challenged. I didn't like to be second-guessed.

"You don't seem seventeen." His frown disappeared and he was smiling. I gave a rueful grin that made him smile wider, showing perfect white teeth.

"I get that a lot," I said wryly, "What about you? How old are you?" He had to be in his early twenties at least.

"Eighteen," he replied. It was my turn to give him a disbelieving frown. As I studied him I realized he did look like he was around my age. He looked down at me again, and I realized for the first time that night, that Darien was a lot taller than my five foot ten frame. He was obviously over six feet tall, maybe six three, six four.

"What?" He asked, a brilliant smile lighting his face.

"You don't act like an eighteen year old boy," I managed to get out when I could breathe again. This was ridiculous, I thought, I never act like this around a guy, much less one that I hardly know. It wasn't like me at all. His smile got even wider. I cursed the moon for not giving me its light tonight. I would have killed to see what was in his eyes.

"Would you prefer I do some macho act to impress you?" I could hear the outright amusement in his voice. "Or maybe you would prefer me to sit on some sports cars hood and flex some muscle?"

I couldn't help it. The image he gave me of himself sitting on the hood of a Mustang flexing his biceps, had me put my hand over my mouth to keep the hysterical giggling from escaping in full force. I could not picture this man, and he_ was_ a man, doing something like that. He laughed quietly at my reaction. Wait, I thought, did he say impress _me_? Why would he want to impress me? I almost voiced that exact question, but phrased it differently.

"You don't have to impress me," I said softly, a small smile on my lips. I liked the idea that he wanted to impress me, but I didn't dwell on it. He had already proved himself in my eyes when he stood between me and the beast in the bushes, readying himself to defend me. He turned his face back to the walkway, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Don't I?" He said it so quietly that I almost missed it.

We were in the parking lot now, and I could see my group gathered around the church van. Embri and Lacy looked anxious as they were talking to Mrs. Jeannine. Embri happened to glance our way, and when she saw me she let out a huge sigh of relief, which Lacy echoed when she turned to see what had caught Embri's attention. Both turned and started walking our way. Darien tensed but didn't miss a stride or let go of my hand. Embri was going to let me have it, I could tell. When she knew I was within hearing distance, she opened her mouth.

"Do you know what we…" Embri cut off abruptly, audibly gasping when she saw Darien. Even level headed Lacy gasped. Alright, I was embarrassed enough for the both of us. I looked up to Darien to see what his expression was. It was then that I realized that we were standing under one of the lamps illuminating the parking lot.

I didn't gasp, but I did stop breathing.

Darien was looking down at me, his face expressionless. I had already guessed that he was handsome by the features I could make out under the low light of star and Christmas lights. Under the bight light of the street lamp, however, he was beautiful. His hair was a deep, chocolate brown; a sharp contrast to his chalk white skin. But it was his eyes that drew me in. The eyes that I had been begging to see all evening. They were a dark, golden, amber color, and the hint of luminosity I had seen when the beast was in the bushes, was lurking beneath the surface. And where his face was expressionless, his eyes were anything but. They were intense, all but screaming in their emotions. Deep sadness permeated all other emotions, but I could see determination, deep and steady, and a hope he could barely keep contained. And an odd emotion, almost like sad expectation.

He is waiting for my reaction to him. That's why he tensed up when we were getting close to the van. He knew he would be under stronger light and had not wanted me to see him fully exposed. He was waiting for my reaction and he was expecting me to be afraid of him. Fat chance.

"Well," I said drawing in a steadying breath, "Embri, Lacy, I'd like you to meet Darien. I got a little lost in the park and he escorted me out." I was looking up into Darien's face as a said this, a comforting smile on my face. Watching his reaction was priceless.

Darien's face stayed expressionless for a few seconds, then turned incredulous. And slowly, but surely, a breath taking smile took over his features.

Danggit, I didn't know this man from Adam and he was already making me go weak in the knees. I was going to have to do something about this. But as I looked up into his smile I thought to myself, maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't have to.

"It appears that your Ms. Rebecca got turned around on the pathways, so I offered to escort her back." Darien explained, his brilliant smile now aimed at my paralyzed friends.

"T-that's very kind of you," Embri managed to stammer out. Lacy had closed her gaping mouth and taken a deep breath to compose herself.

"Umm, Rebecca, Mrs. Jeannine said we need to leave soon, so…uh" Maybe not as composed as I thought. I was fighting a smile when I untucked my hand from Darien's elbow and turned to face him.

"Thank you very much Mr. Darien," I said formally, "It has been a pleasure talking to you."

"The same goes for you, Ms. Wright.," Darien said, "Goodnight, Rebecca." His eyes softened when he said my name, and a small smile was playing at the corner of his lips. Turning, he looked at Embri and Lacy. "Goodnight ladies." Then he turned and walked down the path that we had just come from. I stared after him, watching him until he went around a bend in the pathway, disappearing behind the bushes.

I let out the breath I'd been holding and I realized that my heart was beating frantically. My hand came up to rest on my throat by its own accord. Thoughts that I did not want to think were beginning to click together. Thankfully, my friends saved me from having to think too hard.

Together, they came rushing up to demand answers to their questions. The whole hour long trip home was spent telling and describing how I'd run into Darien. Though I left out the beast in the bushes. I didn't think Darien would appreciate me telling them about that secret. Or how his eyes glowed golden when I was gathered protectively in his arms.

So it wasn't until I was home and taking off my coat did I notice the folded piece of paper sticking out of my pocket. With suddenly shaking fingers, I unfolded the sheet of paper. In black flowing letters was a cell phone number and a short note:

_Call me if you need me, and next_

_time we meet, you can guess_

_my name. _

_-Darien _

_To be continued__…_

I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter!! Please review and tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

~Thank you so much for your reviews and patience. Please enjoy!!!~

Chapter 2

"_Rebecca, run!" Darien shouted frantically. Bone white hands and arms restrained him while he vainly fought and struggled against their embrace._

_I turned in a circle, but I wasn't going to run. There would be no way in hell that I would leave Darien here with these monsters. _There! _Something had reflected in the low light of the room. I ran over to the corner and snatched something cold and hard up from the ground._

_Cold steel stole the warmth from my fingers as my hand curled around the long dagger .My mind barely caught the details of the black blade as I whirled at the snarling sound coming from Darien._

_Then out of the shadows stepped my nightmare. Hunched over, facing towards me, clawed hands curled and poised in the air. Lips curled up harshly over sharp glistening teeth, drool pouring from its mouth. It whined in anticipation, crouching low to the floor. Its eyes began to glow a sickly green._

"NO!_" Darien roared. "_REBECCA!!_"_

_The beast launched itself at me._

I gasped, my eyes snapping open, my breaths coming in heaves. The sheets were tangled around my body, perspiration making them stick to me. I struggled to free myself, almost panicking when I couldn't get loose. My room, which had seemed so safe and comforting, was now horrifying and claustrophobic. I reached over my bed to snap on the light. My hands were shaking so badly that it took me a few times before I got it. Sighing in relief as the warm, golden glow of the lamp filled the room, I turned and lay on my back.

That was the seventh time in two weeks that I had had that dream. Darien trying to break free from the bone white arms; the beast launching himself at me. And the same black dagger I reached to for protection.

I swung my legs to the floor, and walked over to my desk. I turned on the desk lamp as I sat down in the plush computer chair. Reaching over to the bookshelf, I grabbed a black, leather bound book from the bottom shelf. Flipping through the pages I stopped on one of my more recent sketchings. The black dagger.

The handle of the dagger was polished silver steel. The tempered, black steel blade curved out and ended in a wicked point. But the most intriguing feature of the dagger was the ruin symbols etched along the face of the blade. In fact, the ruins were the most disturbing part. I could remember the dream very clearly and in great detail, but in every single dream only a slight glimpse of the blade, before Darien drew my attention back to him.

Darien…

I turned and looked at the clock. Ten after one. I got up, threw on some clothes, and grabbed my keys. It was time to pay Darien a visit.

I parked in the Free Painters Park parking lot. Turning the key in the ignition off, I sat there for a moment, staring off into the park. As I looked at the blue glow of the still present Christmas lights, I couldn't help but feel a small twinge of fear.

The last time I had set foot in the park something, and I believed in this strongly, tried to attack me. Something with glowing green eyes. If Darien hadn't have been there with me it probably would have killed me. Then again there had been something else in the bushes that had dragged the beast off in the end. I sighed. There were too many pieces of the puzzle missing, and the pieces I did have did not fit together.

I straightened in my seat. I was not going to let something from my dreams scare me out of seeing Darien. I grabbed my favorite gray trench coat, opened the door, and stepped out into the frigid December air.

As I was shrugging my coat on, I had to wonder why I was so sure that Darien would be at the park at two' o clock in the morning. Maybe it was the fact that he seemed so comfortable here, relaxed and confident, as if this was his home, his territory.

I took the pathway that led to the old, iron bench, thinking it was the best place to start. Every step I took, my nervousness grew. Darien had given me his cell phone number, but I had not bothered to call it in the two weeks I have had it. I've been tempted, yes, but I just don't talk well on the phone. I rather it be face to face, person to person kind of conversation. And I had to wonder if he would understand that and accept it, or would he be offended and not want to talk to me at all.

I had almost convinced myself to just turn around and go back home, when I saw the bench hidden partially by bushes and trees that were way overdue for a trimming.

And there he was.

Sitting on the far right side of the bench, mostly hidden by bushes, was Darien. His hands were folded and were resting on his stomach. His ankles were crossed and he had his legs slightly tucked under the bench. His head was slightly tilted back, his eyes closed as if in sleep. He looked absolutely beautiful.

All the anxiety I felt, all my frayed nerves, disappeared at the sight of him. It was like someone had pulled a curtain away from my eyes, and I was seeing the light for the first time. Walking forwards, I was nothing but all smiles for him.

Hearing someone coming towards him, Darien opened his eyes. They were unfocused as they settled on me, but then he blinked a few times. He stared at me for a moment before a brilliant smile lit his face.

"Rebecca," Darien said, genuine pleasure and surprise in his voice, "What are you doing here?" He had pushed himself off the bench and was walking towards me as he spoke. Stopping in front of me, he stood there, looking down at me with a small smile on his lips.

"Well…" I looked up into his face, then down at the ground. The whole reason for driving an hour to the park was to tell Darien about my dreams. Standing here now, though, I wanted to do everything but. They seemed so stupid now, just a reoccurring nightmare that I was unfortunate to have.

"Actually, I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by the park to go for a walk." It was a lie. I knew it and by the way he arched his eyebrows, he knew it too.

"At two' o clock in the morning?" he asked, disbelief coloring his tone. His face had a wary look on it and he was staring at me like he didn't know me—which technically he didn't since we had only met once—but still, he was looking at me like I was a complete stranger. Dang this man knew how to make me feel guilty.

"Fine!" I said, throwing my hands in the air above my head. "I had a bad dream and couldn't go back to sleep." I was careful not to mention what my dream had been about. "And usually when I can't sleep I go and drive around for a while until I'm calm enough to go back home and get some sleep. I started thinking about you and happened to end up here. Satisfied!" I huffed out that last part, staring him down and daring him to say something sarcastic. My glare faltered as I looked into his golden eyes.

"You were thinking about of me?" Darien asked, his voice unexpectedly tender and full of wonder, then confusion clouded his face. "Do you still have my cell phone number?" I looked down at the ground. I couldn't believe I was about to own up to this.

"I-I do," I stammered, "it's just…I don't talk very well on the phone. I rather talk to people face to face. Even my friends don't call me very much because our conversations usually end up in awkward silences."

As in now. The silence stretched on for so long that I knew that anyone within a ten mile radius would feel the heat from my blush. I continued to look down at the ground, staring at the dead leaves and grass under my boots.

I knew it was stupid, but ever since I was little I had always had an aversion to talking on the phone. It seemed like whenever I got on the phone to have a long conversation, words would leave my mind and I could think of nothing to say. It was embarrassing and my friends used to tease me about it, but now they just accept that it's part of who I am.

"Well," I looked up to see Darien staring down at me, a small smile on his lips, "that is perfectly all right. It just means that we will have to see each other more often, so we can keep in touch." Darien's smile grew wider as he watched me stare at him stupidly. Then he turned and offered me his arm. My smile must have been huge as I tucked my hand into his elbow. "Shall we go for a walk," he chuckled as he started forward on the pathway, gently pulling me with him.

We walked in companionable silence for a few moments when a thought popped into my mind.

"What's your full name?" I asked, curiosity plain in my voice. He opened his mouth as if to speak, and then he closed his mouth and gave me a look.

"No, you have to guess my name, remember?" Amusement played across his face as he reminded me of the note he had given me the last time we had met.

"Right," I said, looking up into the night sky, "give me a hint."

"It starts with an A," Darien said with a smile.

"Adams?"

"No."

"Andrews."

"No again."

"Hmm…Arlington?" He laughed at that one. "Okay, I give up." I had a few others to voice but I doubted that anyone of them were right.

"It's Asimn, Darien Asimn."

Darien Asimn. I Rolled the name over in my head. It had a unique sound to it. "I like it," I stated finally.

"I'm glad," Darien said, then with a wicked grin, "Would you like to guess my middle name?"

"I think I'll save that for next time," I replied dryly. He laughed, blowing a breath of air towards me. I breathed in deeply, amazed at the heady scent that came off of him. It could not have been cologne. It was like all of my favorite spices rolled together, but even that could not describe it. I took another deep breath, but the scent had already blown away with the slight breeze.

"Do you mind if I ask you about your parents?" Darien asked suddenly. I hid my grimace—I had a lot of practice—this was a touchy subject, but I would give him the answers he wanted.

"What do you want to know?"

"How old is your Mother?" He was staring straight ahead into the Christmas lit park.

"Well," I started, staring into the park as well, "She would have been forty-three this November."

Darien looked down sharply at me. "Would have been?"

"My Mother is dead," I said bluntly. This was the conversation I dreaded whenever I met a stranger. "Both she and my Father were killed in a car accident five years ago."

"I'm sorry," Darien said, his voice full of sympathy. He detached my hand from his arm, but instead of pulling away he, very tentatively, put his arm around my shoulders to comfort me.

"I'm alright. It was a long time ago." But as I said it tears started to well up in my eyes. We had stopped walking and Darien had turned and was looking at me intently, his hands resting lightly on my arms.

Suddenly, so suddenly that I couldn't protest, he drew me to him, enfolding me in his arms.

"No, it is not alright," he whispered fiercely in my ear, his cheek pressed lightly against the side of my forehead, one of his hands stroking my back. "It is never alright when you lose loved ones. Though they may have been lost for years, it's alright to grieve for them. No matter if you remember them clearly or just slightly, it's alright to grieve."

This man, this man that I barely knew, was comforting me more than any other person had since my parent's death. I buried my face in his neck. My hands, which were trapped between us on his chest, clutched handfuls of his coat. Tears were flowing freely down my face onto his icy neck. When I realized that I was getting his coat wet with my tears I tried to back away, but he wouldn't have it. His arms tightened around me, one of his hands coming to rest on the back of my head. This brought on a whole new round of tears and I buried myself closer to him.

I don't know how long we stood there, but Darien never tried to move away from me. He just held me and let me cry, murmuring soothing words.

Finally my tears stopped, but instead of stepping away I just rested my forehead against his neck. His skin was smooth and hard, like white marble, and was cold against my overheated head. Reality came back to me. I cleared my throat and stepped away. Darien let me go this time, but his brow was furrowed in concern and his arms were slightly stretched in my direction, as if at the first sign of a tear he would gather me up again.

"Thank you." My voice was rough; I cleared my throat again and tried for a smile. "I think I needed that." He didn't look convinced. "Seriously, I'm okay. I guess I just needed to get that out of my system. So thank you again." I blushed a little then.

Darien lowered his arms then, though his brow was still furrowed. "Anytime," he said softly. Then with a smile he offered me his arm. I took it with answering smile and we both started back down the pathway.

"May I ask who you live with now?" Darien asked tentatively, afraid he might bring about a new round of tears.

"I live with the Robintons, their some old family friends. When my parents died I had no living relatives, so the Robintons offered to take me in."

"Do they not have any children of their own?" Darien asked.

"No, they have children of their own," I clarified, hoping the disdain was kept out of my voice, "two girls and a boy. The boy and one of the girls are twins that are my age. The other girl is two years younger than me."

"And you don't like them." It wasn't a question. So much for keeping the distaste from my voice.

"Brendon, the boy, is cool. Even though were the same age he's more like an older brother to me. The girls and I, however, do not get along, to say the least." Just thinking about them made me grimace. Darien laughed at the look on my face.

We had made our way back to the parking lot. Darien turned and walked to my car, which was the only car in the lot.

"Did you walk here?" I asked suddenly, realizing that my car really was the only one in the lot.

"I live close by with my family," Darien answered with a cryptic smile. "It's not that far a walk and I enjoy it."

"Your family?" I was curious and he could tell.

"Next time we meet I'll tell you about them." Darien went to the drivers door and tried to open it, but it was locked. I was already there with my keys out when he was turning to look at me with an arched eyebrow.

"It's a reflex," I explained, "I always lock my doors." I walked up to the door and shoved the key into the lock. Hearing the satisfying click, I opened the door and sat down on the seat. Before I closed the door I turned the key in the ignition and listened with gratitude as the engine purred to life. I closed the door, then rolled down my window. Darien leaned down with his arms crossed and pressed against the door frame.

"Thank you, Darien," I said, sincere gratitude in my voice, "for the walk and…everything."

Darien let loose a brilliant smile. "Anytime, and call me for our next get together. Maybe somewhere more pleasant and during the day instead the middle of the night."

"Hey, I like the park at night," I laughed. My grin faded as a thought came to me, one I had almost forgotten. "Darien…" I looked at the floorboard and could almost see the sickly glowing green eyes.

"What is it?" Darien asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"What was that thing," I blurt out before I lost my courage, "the thing in the bushes the last time we met." Darien's face went vacant. Even his eyes, which were usually so expressive, was void of any emotion. Pushing away from the car he answered in a low voice.

"Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss, Rebecca." And then he turned and walked away.

~I hoped you enjoyed the second chapter!! Please review and tell me what you think.~


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

An hour later, I parked in the Robinton's driveway. Looking at the two story house, I couldn't help but feel a small sense of home sickness. Even after living here for five years, it still was not home. I shook off my melancholy state. I should be grateful to just have a home with a roof over my head and a bed to sleep on.

I sat in the car—not bothering to turn the engine off—letting the heater blow warm air on my face. I thought of Darien's last words; _'Sometimes, ignorance is bliss, Rebecca.'_ I scrubbed my hands over my face as if to wash away the sleep that threatened to take me.

I knew exactly what he meant. There were many things in this world that I wish that I had never known; things that I had heard or have done myself. Ignorance really was bliss. It's probably best that I didn't know what was in those bushes, I didn't need anymore nightmares.

I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. Four-thirty A.M. I groaned. It was a good thing I didn't have to work today. I turned the car off and stepped out into the cold morning air. I walked up the drive to the door, trying not to trip on the steps. I was so busy trying to find the right key for the door that I never noticed the person looking at me through the window in the door. Just as I found the right key someone opened the door.

"Rebecca?" a male voice questioned.

"Good morning, Will," I managed to choke out. My heart was beating frantically. My nerves must be really frayed, I thought. I never used to scare so easily. Will Robinton looked concerned for a moment, and then a mischievous smile took over his features.

"Did I scare you?" He was highly amused, alright. "Well, that has got to be a first around here. It's usually the other way around. It takes a lot to scare you most of the time, but maybe you're starting to soften up." Will's smile had grown wider and he looked absolutely pleased with himself. I rolled my eyes. How could a thirty something year old man behave like such a…teenager. I smiled a little at my analogy.

"Ha! It will be a long time before I soften up," I teased him as I walked through the doorway. "When it comes to scares I am the master. Do you remember last Halloween?" Going super Goth had helped the scare factor in the house supremely.

"I remember," Will said dryly. "All you had to do was look at someone and they would faint in horror."

"Thank you," I replied smugly. We walked into the kitchen, both of us heading for the fridge. Will reached it first and, knowing what I wanted, handed me the orange juice. Saying thanks I got two glasses from the cupboard. Pouring the juice into the glasses, I savored the sweet and tangy scent that always seemed to permeate the juice. Though, I had to admit with a rueful grin, Darien smelled much better.

"I take it your midnight ride was relaxing?" Will asked as I handed him a glass. I put on my most innocent unexpecting air about me, as I leaned on the counter.

"Yes, it was… relaxing." More like emotional… exciting…dangerous. And it was strange but I did think that whenever I was with Darien I was in some sort of danger, not that I cared. I hid my smile with my glass taking big swigs of the tangy orange goodness.

"That's good, I guess." A frown marked his face and Will the father came out. "Rebecca, you know I don't like you going on these little night rides. Their dangerous. What if you become too tired and fall asleep at the wheel or a herd of deer startles you and you wreck? I don't like to think of the possibilities but they pop into my mind whenever I know you're out there. It scares me a little."

I was touched. Will had always been a father figure to me over the past five years, and he always let it be known that I was like his third daughter, but it always surprised and moved me when he showed fatherly concern for me.

"I know," I muttered, "but I promise you that one, if I ever feel sleepy I will pull over instead of driving farther. And two, I never panic if something runs in front of me on the road. I freeze instead freaking out. I guess it's just in my nature." Mom was always the calm one in the family; never panicking, just calm and orderly. "Besides, these midnight rides always calm me down whenever something is wrong." Bad choice of words.

Will was immediately concerned. He sat up straighter in his seat. "Is something wrong, honey? Has something happened?" He looked as if he were ready to call the Calvary.

"No, no." I said hastily, "Nothing's wrong. I had a bad dream last night and couldn't relax. That's why I went on the drive. But no, nothings wrong." This seemed to placate him. But only a little.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Will asked. I thought on it. Tell Will about the crazy nightmare where something had a hold of Darien and a beast out of a mythology book is out to get me, all the while I'm holding a strange black dagger that I had seemed to have memorized every detail of? Nope, I'll pass.

"It was just a weird dream. Nothing to worry about." A chill went through me as I was talking, as if those words might come back to haunt me. I shook the notion away. "And speaking of dreams I am going to go and hit the sack. Have fun at work, Will." Being the lawyer that he is, I knew he would.

"Always do. Have good dreams this morning, okay, Beck?" He knew I was evading. It was really a bummer when someone has known you since you were in diapers. You can't keep anything from them.

"I always try," I threw over my shoulder as I walked up the stairs. Reaching the hallway at the top of the stairs, I took a left that would take me to my room. The hallway was dark and it was easy to imagine something hiding in the black shadows. I shook my head trying to rid myself of the morbid thoughts.

Stopping at my door, I saw the light filtering in from underneath. Remembering that I had turned my light off before I had left, I almost groaned. I hoped and prayed that it was Brendon in my room and not Aurielle or Lilly Fae. I just did not have the strength to deal with them at this moment. I sighed in relief when I opened the door. Brendon was sprawled across the little black loveseat against the wall, my laptop resting on his stomach. He looked up from whatever website he was browsing and gave me a smile.

"Hey Sis," he muttered sleepily. Ever since I officially became a part of his family, Brendon always refused to call me anything but Sis. He was that close of a friend. Brendon stretched and then rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He got a good look at me. Whistling he arched his eyebrows, "Dang, Sis, what happened? You look like you've been dragged around the world and back in one night." Huh, I must have been more tired than I realized.

"No, Bro, there was no dragging, just a bed of bad dreams." I gave him a wry smile. "But a nice long drive on this beautiful December morning has cleared my head and I am now ready to crash for the day." I threw my coat in the closet too tired to hang it up. It would survive a few wrinkles. I turned back to Brendon and saw the same concerned look that his father had had a few minutes ago. Like father like son. Literally. Brendon had Will's bright blonde hair, grey-blue eyes, and six foot four broad frame. And like his father I knew what was coming. I beat him to the punch.

"Save it. Will has already beaten you on the driving at night lecture." He glared at my smug expression.

"What do you do when you go on those drives anyway," a teasing glint appeared in his eyes. "Do you drive around doing nothing? Oh! Wait. I bet you go and hang out with your vampire friends." I turned and stared at Brendon, and for the second time that night a chill ran through me. Any other time and I would have snarled back a sarcastic comeback but instead it triggered an old memory, one I had almost forgotten. I had to have been eleven at the time.

_The book was titled "How to Catch a Vampire". My heart beat faster and faster as I contemplated the ways on how to beg Mom into letting me have it. My very own vampire!_

"_So you like vampires, eh, Little One?" a rough Irish voice sounded behind me. I spun around, clutching the book to my chest. "Well, do you?" _

"_Yes, sir," I replied, a little shyly. The man standing before me was old but very clean. He had a dark blue sweater on with black slacks that had been ironed precisely. His shoes were shiny and polished black. His face was very craggy. He had a head full of snow white hair and a thick beard to match. His eyes were almost the same color of his hair they were so light a blue. But where the rest of him said old his eyes said young and were full of vigor._

_He chuckled a little. "Well, Little One, you won't be catching any vampires with that book." I straightened and turned defiant._

"_Why not?" I asked stubbornly, "The book says I will, and it says it has all the facts." He chuckled again._

"_Little One, just because a book says they have the facts doesn't mean their telling the truth. Nay, in fact, the vampires in that book are a lie." I gasped at that. I looked down at the cover of the book I had admired and coveted less than a minute ago. Now all I saw was a cheesy picture of a phony vampire in a Dracula costume and fake teeth. I was disappointed. I dejectedly placed the book back on the shelf with the others. I could feel the tears starting to well up. _

_The old man knelt down next to me and lifted my chin up with a finger. _

"_Do'not cry, Little One, for there are real vampires in the world. They just don't look like the ones in those silly pictures."_

"_Really?" I asked, hopeful again. "There're really are vampires?" He chuckled. _

"_Aye, child really." He paused. "Would you like me to tell you about them?"_

"_Oh! Would you please!?" I pleaded, clasping both of my hands together in front of me. _

"_Let's go sit on that bench over there, Little One. My bones are not as young as yours and they need rest. Then I shall tell you how to spot a real vampire." I grabbed his hand and led him to the closest bench a few feet away. He looked a little startled by my boldness but then his face relaxed into a small smile. We settled ourselves on the bench. I scooted as close to him as I could so I wouldn't miss a detail. _

"_First things first, Little One," he began, "real vampires don't have fangs."_

_I gasped. "They don't? Then what do they have?"_

"_They have teeth like you or me, only there're razor sharp. Now no more interruptions or I'll not tell the story, aye?"_

_I nodded, pressing my lips together to make sure that no sound escaped._

"_Alright, now where were we…ah! The teeth! Their teeth are not only sharp but very venomous. One little slice and your infected. I won't go into the details on that though, Little One. A little too much for someone your age I think._

"_A vampire has extremely white skin, white like the chalk a teacher uses. Their skin is ice cold and hard to the touch. They can be unbelievably beautiful, no matter what their age. Vampires never sleep as well, Little One, not in coffins or anything else. They are eternally awake. They have unnatural speed and strength, almost like Superman I guess you could say. They are impervious to anything as well. They can go out into sunlight but they do not like direct sunlight. No, Little One, it doesn't hurt them, just exposes them for what they really are. They like to keep themselves a secret._

"_Now each vampire has a special gift of their own. Some can read minds, others can see the future. Not all vampires have such extraordinary gifts. Say if a human had a great deal of compassion or kindness, when they become a vampire they bring that over with them, only now it's tenfold of what it was. " He stopped then and the sudden intense look on his face made me a little afraid._

"_But the way you know a vampire is through his eyes!" the old man said fervently, "Their eyes always give a vampire away, for when they feed off human blood their eyes will be crimson red. Never trust someone with red eyes, Little One, never!" He calmed a bit then, as if realizing that he may be getting carried away. "But not all vampires are bad. There are a few who do not wish to harm humans and they want to keep what is left of their humanity, so instead of feeding off humans the hunt animals. Deer, elk, bears, cougars, any wildlife or livestock they can feed off of. Little One, you can tell these good vampires from the bad because these certain vampires have eyes of golden amber instead of crimson red. Remember that in years to come." _

_I sat there, captivated into silence. The old man chuckled and then patted my head._

"_That, Little One, is how you spot a real vampire." _

I stood in the middle of my room, frozen with shock. After all these years the memory felt crystal clear. I could even remember the peppermint and sea salt smell that came off the old man. How could I have forgotten, I thought franticly. How could I have forgotten something like that? That old man had left an impression with me for many months, and I remember the weeks I had spent afterwards searching the crowds for that one pale person. When had I forgotten?

The wreck. Mom and Dad's wreck.

I drew in a deep breath of air. It was no wonder that I had forgotten. My mind had been a blank page at the time. My mind had been so numb after the accident that I was more like the walking dead than the living.

"Sis?" Brendon stood up from the loveseat and walked over to me. He placed his hands on my shoulders and shook me gently. "Rebecca. Rebecca, hey, I was only teasing…Rebecca, what's wrong?" Brendon shook me a little harder this time, panic starting form in his eyes. I blinked and then shook my head.

"Sorry, Brendon. I was just thinking of an old memory, one that I had thought I had forgotten." I felt my brow furrow in concentration. "It's strange. Some of my favorite books are on vampires, and I read them all the time, yet you saying the word vampire triggered the memory." I looked up at him and saw that he was on the verge of calling for help. "Don't worry, Bro, it was a good memory, if a little weird. I was at a bookstore with Mom when a strange old Irish man came up to me and started to talk about vampires with me. I still remember that accent…" I chuckled a little. "I remember the way he looked and talked reminded me of an old Irish sea captain."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Brendon was still worried. I couldn't blame him. When I first moved in with the Robintons anytime I would even have a thought of my Mother or Father I would have an emotional breakdown. Looking back at it now I must have terrified the family.

"I am absolutely fine." I told him, looking him straight in the eyes with a smile. "What I need now is to sleep the day away. Harry closed the store down today because of a niece's wedding or something, so I don't have to go to work. What about you? You're usually out the door by this time." I looked at my little blue clock on the nightstand by my bed and saw the time read five-fifteen.

"Derek called and said his Dad closed shop today as well. Something about a couple of sewage pipes bursting. He said you can't stand in the store without gagging."

"Bummer, huh?" Brendon loved working at the local sports goods shop that his best friend's Dad owned. Brendon once told me that the next best thing to playing sports is being surrounded by it when you're not out on the field.

"Usually, yes, but not today." Brendon gave me a triumphant smile. "Derek and I talked to a lot of the other soccer players and we agreed to have a party tonight at Fat Albert's, you want to come?" He gave me a 'come on, Sis, we never get to do anything anymore' grin.

Fat Albert's was a lake about twenty minutes away. The real name of the place was Lake Satin, and if you were standing on the shoreline it would seem like a perfectly normal lake. Until you saw the aerial view of it. From the air, Lake Satin was shaped like Fat Albert, thus all the locals fondly refer to the lake as Fat Albert's.

"I don't know…" But then I thought of Darien. Brendon's party would be a perfect place to get to know Darien better. Brendon's parties were always clean. No drugs or drinking were ever allowed. A rule that Brendon and the other soccer jocks reinforced. If they did find you with what they called 'contraband items' at the party you were thrown out. Only one time were the police ever called, and the reason was because the music was a little too loud. No one got a ticket or even a warning. Just a polite request to turn the music down.

"Can I invite a few people?" I enquired. Brendeon's eyes lit up.

"Embri and Lacy? Sure you can invite them." Then a little sheepishly, "Do you think Embri will need a ride or anything?" I rolled my eyes.

"Actually, I think _you_ should call and invite her. You like her, she likes you, party at the lake, perfect date!" I almost snickered at the look that crossed his face.

"Embri likes me? But she's never shown that she does."

"Embri is the type of girl who waits for the guy to ask her out. Until then she is going to act herself around the guy that she likes, it's just how she is." My smile widened, "And speaking of dates you should have Derek call Lacy. I know for a fact that he likes her, and Lacy has had a crush on him for I don't know how long."

"Huh, I'll see about it…" A knowing look came into his eyes. "Speaking of dates, when are you ever going to get you a man?" I actually blushed a little. His eyes widened at that. I never blushed when talking about guys with Brendon. Usually my sarcastic demon came out to play.

"Actually, there was one other person that I would like to invite, if that's okay?" My blush deepened. I couldn't control it.

Brendon's smile stretched across his face. "Is this person a, oh I don't know, male by any chance?"

"Yes," I murmured, my face burning. Brendon let out a deep throated laugh that was a little too loud for the early morning.

"This is great!" Brendon exulted, "It's about time you found yourself a guy, and this will get Bryan off my back, especially if your guy is more intimidating than Bryan."

All teasing and embarrassment left me. "Wait," I said, my voice low, menacing. "Bryan _Davis?_ As in Bryan the quarterback football jock? The guy who has made my life hell at school?!"

Brendon took a step back, as if he was afraid I would slug him. "Uh, yeah. He's been asking my permission to date you but I told him he needed to bug off. I new how you felt about him." Brendon had his hands up as if to ward away a charging bull.

I was furious. Not at Brendon but at Bryan—to think he had the nerve to even _think_ about asking me out. Maybe Darien could pulverize him. That brought me some grim satisfaction.

"Ugh, that's okay Brendon, at least you tried to get rid of him. You can take the computer with you. I'm going to try to at least get a couple of hours of sleep, after I make a call." The call would also probably calm me down.

"At five in the morning?" Brendon arched an eyebrow at me.

"I very seriously doubt that he's asleep." Doubt it very much indeed.

"Ah, your man, eh?" Then he flashed me a wicked grin, "Can he not sleep because he is tortured with thoughts of his beloved Rebecca?"

"That's it! Out!" I shoved him towards the door, though I couldn't quite keep the smile off my face. "It's time for the annoying brother to leave!"

Brendon's head was poking through the door, "But if he…"

I put my hand on the top of his head and pushed. "Good morning and goodnight, Bro!!" I closed the door on him and started laughing. I heard him call out that the party started at seven tonight and he would call Embri and take care of Derek and Lacy. I sighed, silently thanking Brendon for taking that off my plate. Now to get down to business.

I walked over to the closet and grabbed my trench coat out. Fishing in the pockets I found the piece of paper that had Darien's cell number. Grabbing the phone I sat down on my bed and took a deep breath. Dialing the numbers I couldn't help but feel like this was a moment of truth. It didn't even finish the second ring.

"Hello?" Darien's smooth low voice answered.

"Darien?" Idiot. Of course it's Darien, you can do better than that.

"Rebecca!" Surprise was in his voice but I could tell he was pleased. "What can I do for you?" I took encouragement from the fact that he didn't seem annoyed for me calling at such an early hour, though it didn't sound as if he had been asleep.

"Um, do you remember when you said I could pick the next place for us to meet?" Still lame.

"Of course," there was defendant amusement in his voice now. "It's only been a few hours."

"Right, um, would you like to come to a party my brother is throwing?" I crossed my fingers.

"A party? That sounds good. Did you say your brother's name was Brendon Robinton?"

"Yes." I answered, hopeful.

"I believe I have heard of your brother and his parties before. There're supposed to be quite good. Yes, I'll be there. Where is the party taking place?"

I breathed out a silent sigh. "It's going to be at Fat Albert's at seven tonight."

"Fat Albert's?" Darien sounded confused.

"Sorry," I said a smile on my face, "I forgot you're new here. We call Lake Satin, which is a few miles away, Fat Albert."

"Why?' Darien asked, mystified.

I chuckled a little. "I'll tell you later."

"All right, so do you…" Darien stopped and I could here a high female voice in the background. I strained to listen to what they were talking about but their voices were too low. Suddenly, "No, Brin." Darien growled, and then I heard a clattering sound and a whoosh of air.

"Hello?" The voice that greeted me was high and musical, and clearly not Darien.

"H-hello?" I stammered.

"Oh, good! I thought I accidentally hung up on you. You must be the girl Darien told us about. I'm Brin, Darien's sister. I heard him talking on the phone and I was curious about you. It takes a lot to catch Darien's eye." It was like she never paused to breath. "Anyway I heard Darien say something about a party. Would you mind…?" I heard a Darien growl again then more clattering noises, then a high plaintitive voice, "But Darien!" More clattering noises and another whoosh of air.

"Sorry about that," Darien said briskly and I thought I heard a faint trace of Irish in his voice. "My sister can be a nuisance at times. Now back to where we were before we were so rudely interrupted. Would you like me to come pick you up or are you going to ride with your brother?" That was a tempting offer, but I knew what Brendon's reaction to that would be.

"I believe, being the brother that he is, Brendon will want me to ride with him. He takes his chaperone duties seriously." Especially after the last date I went on. I shuddered at the memory.

"I would think less of him if he didn't."

"Did your sister want to come to the party?" I inquired. "I wouldn't mind." I curious to see his sister now. What had she meant by 'it takes a lot to catch Darien's eye'?

"I would though." Darien said sourly, then in a more pleasant voice. "Don't worry about Brin, Rebecca. She'll be angry at me for awhile but she'll get over it. I'll see you at seven."

"I'll see you there. Wait, I almost forgot. Let me give you my cell number." I read the number to him and said goodbye.

"Sweet dreams, Rebecca." Darien whispered and then I heard the click of the handset. Staring down at the phone I could only wonder.

Sweet dreams indeed.

I was quiet in the backseat of the car as Brendon and Embri chattered away at each other. I had to give Embri credit. She was still acting herself even after Brendon had asked her out. Usually she went all giggly and acting like an idiot when she was with a guy that she liked, but maybe because she has known Brendon for such a long time is was that she was able to act all level headed.

Lacy had called an hour after I had woken up that afternoon and announced that Derek had asked her out. She was her usual calm and collected self, but I could detect a hint of excitement under the tone of her voice. I smiled at the thought of Derek and Lacy.

Derek was perfect for Lacy. Being a soccer player had made him fit with a good body. He was very handsome too. With his brown hair and brown eyes and semi-tan skin he could make girls fall head over heels at his feet. Derek also had a brain to go along with his handsome features. And the best part of it all was that he wasn't even aware of it. On the soccer field he was aggressive and ready to win at all times. But off the field, Derek was a shy guy who liked to keep things private. I was lucky to have him as a friend. It had helped that Derek had liked Lacy since the moment he saw her. Lacy was a very lucky girl indeed.

"Rebecca!" I jumped in my seat, startled out of my thoughts. Embri was turned around in her seat, glaring at me. "It's about time! I said, aren't you a little underdressed for tonight?"

I looked down at the long sleeved black T-shirt, my favorite pair of jeans, and my black hiking boots I was wearing. My ever present dark gray trench coat was laid to the side in the seat, waiting for me to don it. I touched my hair, which was usually up in a clippie, and felt my smooth curls laying against my head and back, actually cooperating for once instead of frizzing all over the place. I had no makeup on but that wasn't unusual. I never wore makeup except on special occasions.

"I don't think I'm underdressed." I said a little peevishly. There was nothing wrong with my outfit.

Embri looked at me like I was missing something. "This Darien is going to be meeting you here, right?" I nodded. "Then don't you think you could have dressed up just a little bit more than usual? Play it up a bit to show him that you're a once in a lifetime girl? I know what's in your closet, Beck, so don't you tell me that this is the only thing you have. What about that sexy little red shirt? That would have gotten his blood pumping." I just rolled my eyes. I had a feeling that getting Darien's blood pumping was not exactly the safest thing in the world.

"Embri, if I want a guy to like me I don't want to have to wear special outfits or tons of makeup to catch his attention. If he can't accept me for what I look like right now then I don't want anything to do with him."

"Here, here!" Brendon said a smile playing across his face. "That's the spirit, Sis." That set Embri off on him. I just sat back and smiled at the happy couple.

A thought nagged at me at the mention of Darien. The conversation with the old Irish man came to mind. _Amber eyes, cold white skin, and unbelievably beautiful,_ I listed the requirements for a vampire. I didn't know if Darien had super speed or strength, or if he was impervious to anything. I also did not know if he had a special power of some sort. Anyway, what was I supposed to do? Go up to Darien and say, 'Hey, are you a vampire?' Yeah right.

The most disturbing part was why had the old man told me these things? I was only a seven year old girl who had liked vampires. The more I thought about it the weirder it got. Maybe he was just some old coot who had been looking for company. Maybe I had reminded him of a granddaughter or something. Maybe there was nothing to what he said at all…maybe I'm going crazy. No, the old man had been telling the truth. Even my young eleven year old mind had been able to see that.

"We're here," Brendon declared, bringing me back down to earth. "Do you see Rufus' Jeep? I need to talk to him about something before the actual party starts." Both Embri and I searched the parking area. I spotted the green Jeep before them.

"There it is," I pointed to it. "Over by that red car. Isn't that Lucas' SUV?" As I was talking I started to search the dirt parking lot for a car that would scream Darien. Apparently none of them were in the mood for screaming.

"Yeah, that's Lucas' alright," Brendon confirmed. "The whole soccer team is here. Apparently, Derek and I are the last ones." That comforted me a little. The whole soccer team was like one big happy family for me. All twenty-one of them considered me their little sister and were very overprotective of me. I could only imagine their delight in realizing that I had a date for tonight. No doubt they would put Darien through the commitment testing. I winced at that thought.

Bendon parked the car and I grabbed my coat as I stepped outside. Cold, frigid air hit me; the wind carrying the scent of fresh lake water. I shoved my arms through the coat, anticipating the warmth that would soon surround me. Embri went with Brendon to go find Rufus. I waited at the edge of the parking lot, looking for a certain car with a certain driver. Headlights flashed in the lot and I took a deep steadying breath. Until I saw that it was Derek's truck. I blew through my lips, irritated and relieved at the same time.

Derek's black truck parked close to the tree line that bordered the lake. Something about that bothered me but just as I was about to tell them to park somewhere else Lacy opened the door and spotted me.

"Rebecca!" Lacy shut the door and came running to me. Derek got out more slowly but I could see the amused grin on his face. "Is he here yet?" Obviously not, I thought sarcastically.

"No, not yet. I was going to wait for him before I made way to the crowd." I turned to Derek. "You're the last one to arrive. Brendon went off to find Rufus. He said he needed to talk to him about something before the party started."

Derek frowned and then a knowing look came into eyes. "It was probably about the new Call of Duty game coming out. Both Brendon and Rufus have been talking about it non stop. Which reminds me, the Hansfield players wants our team to do another reenactment with them, only we'll use paintball guns instead of the fake guns we used last time. A lot of the guys, including me, were hoping you would like to join in on the fun."

The Hansfield players was a soccer team a few counties over. All of their players were major Call of Duty fans. As was our team, the Arrows. Every now and then they would challenge each other at live action role playing. One team would pick the location and the other would have to deal with the unfamiliar environment. This year it was our turn to pick the location.

A wicked smile lurked on my face. On the actual game on the xbox I was average in the game play. In real life I was superior. The Hansfield team never suspected me, the overweight clumsy looking _girl_, to be a problem. I mean, who would think that someone like me could move through the forest quickly, silently, and deadly? They had even snickered at me. They weren't snickering in the end. I had scored nineteen of their twenty-three players by the end of the game, using both knife and gun. The times they touched or saw my team and me?

Once.

I had been the leader of the stealth team. Rufus, Roan, Matt, and John had been my teammates and under my tutelage, they were invisible and unstoppable. There had been doubt when Brendon had first invited me to play, but Brendon had known my abilities. The guys had been asking me to play ever since.

"Sure, Derek, I'll play," my smile grew wider. "I can't wait until those Hansfield players are on my territory. It will be easy pickings on the field." I gave a little evil laugh.

Derek rolled his eyes, but there was a small smile on his lips. Right then another pair of headlights flashed into view. I turned hopeful and nervous, and then my mouth dropped open.

A solid black Mustang GT parked not but three feet away from Brendon's little Nissan Altima.

"Whoa," Derek and Lacy whispered in awe. I could only stare.

Darien stepped out of the driver's side and when he saw me his face filled with chagrin. He locked the doors and started walking our way. I was trying to compose myself long enough that I wouldn't look like an idiot. I briefly remembered an image I had had of Darien sitting on a Mustang's hood flexing muscle, but I shook my head of the thought.

"Sorry about the car," Darien said. "It isn't mine. I lost a bet with one of my brothers and I had to drive it." He turned and scowled at the Mustang. He _scowled_ at it.

"Uh, that's okay," I managed to get out. A mischievous smile played across my lips. "You have to promise me a ride though. I've always wanted to ride in one." Darien actually looked relieved.

"I can do better than that," Darien said seeming pleased about something. "I'll let you drive it." He then proceeded to grab my hand and drop the keys into them. I stared at them for a moment before looking up at him with my eyebrow quirked.

"I hope you have high insurance. Because unless that car is an automatic the trees will make sure I hit them." Darien gave me a devastatingly beautiful grin.

"I don't believe I will have to worry about the trees. Only that you keep your eyes on the road." He was right about that. Being in the car with him would be quite difficult.

Derek cleared his throat, and Lacy shuffled her feet. I blinked a few times realizing that Darien and I had been staring at each other a little too intently. Blushing I stepped back. Lacy gave me an understanding smile. A 'been there before' smirk.

"Derek and I will meet you at the shore. Okay, Beck?" She gave me a wink and then reached out and grabbed Derek's arm. Looking slightly confused he allowed Lacy to drag him along the pathway.

"Um…Brendon will probably want to meet you." I stated awkwardly. Darien gave me a small smile and, as always, offered me his arm. I could feel a tradition forming as I tucked my hand in his arm.

We started along the dirt path passing under weak lamps until we saw a stronger looking light ahead of us. A large bonfire was raging not but twenty feet from the lapping shoreline of Fat Albert's. The moon kept peeking out behind the clouds, giving extra bursts of light. Conversations floated towards us and I could make out certain faces in the crowd. There had to be at least fifty people here so far. I wasn't surprised at the turnout but I felt Darien tense beside me.

"We don't have to stay here," I whispered. "We could go somewhere else if you like." Personally, _I_ wanted to go somewhere different. Especially when I saw Jennifer Ramsey headed this way.

He leaned down and I felt his lips brush my ear as he whispered back. "No, _I'm_ fine." I didn't miss the emphasis he put on himself. "You on the other hand…"

"Rebecca!" Jennifer gushed, cutting Darien off. "What a nice surprise! I haven't seen you at a party in ages! And who is this that you brought along? He _has_ to be your cousin." I tensed at her words. Jennifer was a bleach blonde, blue eyed, amazing figure of a woman, and captain of the cheerleader squad at school. Which meant she was an absolute witch. Insinuating that Darien _had_ to be my cousin meant that she was making sure that I knew that she did not believe that I could attract anyone like Darien. I half believed that myself, but she had issued a challenge and I was not about to back down.

I tightened my hold on Darien and managed to produce a friendly smile. "Jennifer, I'd like for you to meet Darien Asimn. He's not my cousin, he is my date." My smile turned dangerous and Jennifer looked a little uneasy. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to go speak to my brother." I heard her mumble a sure, but I was already towing Darien over to where I had seen Brendon with a few of the other soccer jocks.

"You don't like her," Darien stated with an amused grin.

"Of course I do," I replied deadpan. "We have what you call a…unique friendship." I threw a rueful grin at him and he laughed quietly.

He leaned down close and whispered in my in my ear. "I have to admit, you are quite adorable when you're jealous." My blush was crimson red and he could feel the heat of it. He chuckled softly releasing me from his arm only to tentatively take my hand. His hand was ice cold—hard and smooth to the touch. He was holding my hand very gently as if I were made of glass.

"I'm not adorable," I mumbled. I had been called many things but never adorable. It was nice for him to say that though. Darien frowned at me and opened his mouth like he was about to say something.

"Rebecca! Come over here!" Embri shouted, effectively cutting off what Darien was about to say. I was silently relieved for the interruption. I had no desire to get into a conversation about my looks.

Brendon turned and saw us. The smile that was on his face was suddenly gone when he saw Darien. Suspicion and concern radiated from his face and body.

"Brendon, this is Darien Asimn. Darien, this is my brother, Brendon Robinton." I introduced.

Darien held out the hand that wasn't holding mine. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Brendon." Darien said smoothly. Brendon looked at Darien's hand for a moment then his eyes narrowed when he saw Darien holding my hand. Darien quickly released me. Brendon still did not look very happy as he reached up to shake Darien's hand. He flinched slightly at the contact, and after one shake drew his hand away quickly. I was surprised and slightly offended at his behavior towards Darien. It disappointed me.

"So…" Brendon started suspicion lacing into his voice. "You're the mystery man Becky has told me about." Darien quirked an eyebrow at me.

"Mystery man?" Darien was amused. I was not. Brendon never called me Becky. I hated that nickname.

"I never called you that." I said. I was looking at Brendon through narrowed eyes. I was beginning to get ticked off. Brendon was being rude and abrasive towards Darien, while Darien was nothing but polite. "Brendon came to his own conclusion I guess. Well you've met him, Darien, let's go for a walk." Darien looked a little confused at my hostile tone. I started to turn away but Brendon grabbed my arm.

"Wait, I need to talk to you about something." The way Brendon said it made it clear he wanted to talk to me alone. Rufus, who was standing nearby, took the hint. But instead of just walking away he came up to Darien and draped an arm over his shoulders and turned him away from us. Other soccer jocks were following them and the last thing I heard was, "…now Rebecca is like a little sister to us so…" I stood there horrified. They were going to give him the commitment testing.

"Rebecca." Brendon's tense whisper made me turn and look at him. "Who is that guy? Is that seriously your date?" Concern in his voice did not make me lash out at him like I was thinking I should. I stared at Brendon for a moment trying to figure out what was wrong. Brendon had nothing but concern on his face.

"Yes, he is my date." I answered slowly. "What's wrong, Brendon? What's the matter?"

Brendon took a deep breath. "I don't know. It's just that when I saw him I thought he looked…wrong, dangerous. That's the only words I can think of at the moment." Brendon stopped and shook his head. My heart was doing double time. Brendon wasn't the only one who thought Darien was dangerous. I have thought that on many occasions, though I never thought he was a danger to me, only to others. "I don't know." Brendon said again and then he gave me a crooked smile. "Maybe I'm just imagining things up to be the protective brother. I still remember the last date you went on." He slightly shuddered and so did I. I shook it off though.

I gave Brendon a rueful grin. "Your mind better behave itself then, because you are imagining things." And then more serious. "Darien's not like Eric. You don't have to worry." Brendon stared at me for a moment, as if he was trying to decide whether or not to trust me. Embri and Lacy saved the day.

"Brendon, come here and see what Lance has!" Embri called. Brendon looked over at them and back at me. I made a shooing motion and gave him a small smile. He took that as an okay and headed over to them. Anxiousness seemed to eat away at me. I new I would have nightmares tonight. I always did whenever someone mentioned Eric.

"Hey there, sweet thing."

In a split second my anxiousness turned to anger and contempt. I turned with a scowl and came face to face with Bryan Davis.

"Where have you been tonight?" Bryan continued to leer at me actually reaching out a hand as if to grab me. I stepped back a few paces. That made him smile wider. "Oh, come on sugar. You know you want me."

"I would rather be left in the blackest pits on earth than want you, Davis. Now back off." I snarled. Brendon did not know the reason for me hating Bryan so much, but if he did he would likely kill Bryan himself.

Bryan Davis was the Quarterback on the school's football team. He was tall, dark, and handsome personified. Every girl within a fifty mile radius lusted after him. Every girl, that is, that did not _know_ him. Those that did, though, wish that they had never laid eyes on him. I never dated him. Never had the desire, but being the odd girl I was bound to be the target of abuse. Bryan found me one day alone at school between the alleyway of two brick school buildings, and he decided it was time to teach the odd girl a lesson.

He beat me. Hard. By the time he was done punching and kicking me I was a bloody mess. But unlike the other girls that he had abused I was not going to bow down and whimper like a dog and let him have his way. So when he decided to have his way with me like his other unfortunate girls, I put up a fight. I had punched, kicked, screamed; I had even tried to gouge one of his eyeballs out. It had worked. Bryan had loosened his grip enough on me that I could make an escape. I ran like a bat out of Hades from between the two buildings. That was two years ago. Bryan has never tried to touch me again, and Brendon had never found out.

Seeing Bryan standing in front of me now, I could not help the raw surge of anger that seemed to enfold me. I hated this boy with a passion.

"Aww, don't be like that, sugar. I know we've had our differences but surely we can kiss and make up." Bryan wasn't being nice. I heard the threat in his voice, and I recognized several of Bryan's buddies walk up behind him. I took another step back, disturbed when I realized a crowd gathering around us. Where was Brendon? Where was Darien?

"I am not your sugar," I said my voice low and menacing. "And I thought I told you to back off. I don't take kindly to people in my personal space." I had straightened my back and shoulders, taking a stance of someone who would not tolerate being pushed around. I made sure to look like I was ready for a fight.

"I always get what I want." Bryan was no longer smiling. He came up to me, so fast that I did not realize he was there until it was too late. I felt my head snap to the side and heard a sick ripping sound. I jerked my head back to Bryan and saw him sneering at me. His hand was raised up, palm forward. Bryan had turned his class ring to where the jewel was facing towards me. It was covered in blood.

My hand shot up to my face. My fingers traced a gash running along my cheek. I could feel the first signs of pain. My cheek and neck were throbbing with it. Hot sticky blood was trickling down my neck onto my coat, soaking into my black shirt.

Bryan started laughing. His friends behind him joined in, and then people from the crowd started laughing.

I stared at him vacantly. How could causing someone pain bring him, and the others, joy? Was it some sick perverse pleasure? But the strangest of all, is that I wasn't in a fury. Oh, I could feel my anger underneath, but it was more like it was just in the background. No, instead of anger being at the surface it was despair, and that was strange as well. For this despair felt as if someone from a distance was directing it towards me, forcing it into my body and mind. It did not feel like my own. It felt…contaminated, diseased somehow.

I did not notice Brendon pushing through the crowd until he was right there in front of me. Brendon took one look at me and rage contorted his features as he took in the blood dripping down my cheek and neck. He looked at Bryan, who was still laughing, and stalked over too him. Bryan never had a chance. The punch Brendon threw was so hard and fast that Bryan actually flew backwards and landed on his backside. When he looked up I could see blood coming from his mouth and nose.

"You freakin broke my nose!" Bryan shrieked. "I'm missing a tooth!" I would have laughed at him if I didn't feel so confused by the onslaught of despair.

"If you don't get your friends and your butt out of here, you'll end up with more than just a broken nose and loose teeth." Brendon was literally trembling with rage. He wasn't the only one. Derek and several of the other soccer jocks were now standing behind Brendon. Their fists were clenched ready to back up his words. Embri and Lacy were shaking from their anger. Mumbling and movement in the crowd drew me from my stupor.

Darien was pushing through the crowd, or more like walking through as people parted out of the way. My legs started moving on their own accord when I saw him. My mind was still numb from the assault of emotions. I could not yet comprehend _why_ I had to reach him, but there was a small voice filtering through the fog, and it was urgently telling me to get to Darien before he saw Bryan.

As my legs were moving I felt a small surge of panic. What was _wrong_ with me? The despair had turned into something different, something heavier. It seemed to smother me to where I felt numb and empty. This could not be coming from me. The panic I felt seemed to help me; I picked up the pace, praying that the fog would lift. I reached Darien just as he broke through the crowd.

"Rebecca," Darien reached out for me but then stopped abruptly. His nostrils flared, his eyes locked on to the blood on my neck. Darien went rigid, locking all his muscles, like he was holding himself in place. Suddenly Darien turned away from me; his hand on his mouth. I stopped for a moment. Darien's hand had moved so fast that I had not seen it move. I shook my head, blaming the fog for me seeing things.

Darien turned back and the expression on his face seemed to clear the fog a bit more. The first thought that crossed my mind was that Bryan had written his own death sentence. Darien looked…dead. There was no other way to describe it. His face and eyes were utterly expressionless. Darien had passed being in a fury. He had passed a whole new realm of rage.

Darien stared at me for a few more moments before his head slowly turned to Bryan, who was now standing and actually brushing his backside off. My hand moved on it's on as it shot out to grab Darien's arm as he took a step in Bryan's direction. My mind was clear enough that I new it would be a very bad idea to let Darien be alone with Bryan.

"Wait," I croaked. Darien immediately stopped and looked down at me. Despair thickly coated my voice and he heard it. My head was still clouded so I had to think hard on what to say. "Wait…please just…just let Brendon take care of him. I want you to stay with…please just stay with me, please." I was whispering by the end. My breathing was hitched and it felt like I couldn't get enough air.

Darien's face and eyes no longer looked dead but I could not even guess at what the emotion was that was swimming in his eyes. His eyebrows furrowed together and his lips were pressed in a hard line. He glanced over at Bryan, who was leaving under the escort of Brendon and several of the soccer jocks. Darien stared after them for a moment and then he turned and, without hesitating, wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Pulling me close, he walked through the crowd towards the parking lot.

I managed to get a glimpse of Embri and Lacy before we completely left the crowd. I waved at them but that did not erase the worry from their faces. The fog in my brain seemed to be almost completely cleared. Being close to Darien seemed to help to clear away the lethargy.

Darien was quiet as we made our way to through the cars. The glimpses I stole of him out of the corner of my eyes warned me not to say anything. Which was fine with me. I was so exhausted from the attack of despair that I could barely move my feet.

We stopped next a black truck that I vaguely realized was Derek's. This set of a little warning bell in the back of my head, but it was so small I could not comprehend the reason for it. Darien pulled down the tailgate of the truck and proceeded to point at it. I took that as he meant he wanted me to sit on it.

"There's a first aid kit in the cab," I told him as I threw my self on the tail gate. I almost did not make it I was so exhausted, but Darien grabbed me and helped me up. "It's behind the driver's seat. The door should be unlocked. It's big and purple so you shouldn't miss it." Derek always kept that blindingly purple first aid kit with him in case of any kind of accident. He was always the sensible one.

Darien turned and went to the driver's door. I wearily closed my eyes and let my head droop down. I heard Darien open the door and felt the truck move slightly as he stepped in. I heard him rummaging about for the kit. When he came back around to me I still had my eyes closed and my head down. I felt the thunk of the kit as Darien laid it on the tailgate. I heard the latch click and then the sound of plastic crinkling. My eyes opened as cold hard fingers lightly cupped my chin and lifted my head up.

Darien was very careful while cleaning my cheek but I still felt the sting of the antiseptic. I watched Darien as he fixed my cheek, studying his features in the low light of the street lamp. His jaw was clenched tight with anger, his nostrils flared. He was breathing in and out very slowly and a few times his face contorted with some kind of emotion. He almost looked in…pain. The bangs of his dark chocolate hair were shadowing his eyes, but I could see a slight golden glow underneath the shadows. Darien was like a livid Greek god at this moment, and it took all of my willpower to not reach out and touch him and to try to sooth him.

Darien worked in silence, never speaking as he cleaned my cheek. By the time he was putting the gauze over my scratch—it was not as bad as it had looked—I was more awake and burning with curiosity.

"What are you thinking?" I whispered. Darien looked at me for a split second. He put the surgical tape and rest of the gauze away. He then placed his hands on either side of me and, very gently, laid his forehead against mine. I froze, barely breathing.

"I do'not think that would be wise." I was surprised to hear the rough Irish accent. I had heard it before but only faintly. Now Darien's voice was low and rough with anger, making his accent thicker.

"I think you should anyway." I breathed out. He tensed and then let out a whoosh of air.

"I should have been with you." He said rushing his words. "If I had been standing next to you none of this would have happened. I would have stopped that low, abhorred, sorry excuse of a…" He stopped and I felt his body stiffen with a new surge of rage. And I was suddenly glad that I had drawn Darien away from Bryan. No doubt he would have deserved whatever Darien would have done to him, but still…I could not have let anything happen. Darien let out a long suffering sigh. "He probably would never have come up to you if I were there. It's as if I've hurt you myself." He closed his eyes as if in pain.

_He_ thought he had hurt _me_? I almost laughed at the craziness of it. Obviously he was one of those people who blamed themselves for everything that happens. I gave in to my earlier impulse to comfort him.

A small shiver of excitement ran through me as I slowly brought my hands up and gently cupped Darien's face. His face was winter cold and smooth and hard to the touch.

Darien's eyes snapped open and he drew his face slightly away from mine until he was only an inch away. Wonder covered his face as he slowly moved his hand and placed it over one of mine, pressing my hand closer to his face. His cool breath swirled across my face, making it hard for me to concentrate while I inhaled his wonderful scent.

"Darien," I said slowly, carefully picking my words, "what happened tonight was not your fault. Not even close. Besides, I've had worse things happen to me before." Darien's nostril's flared at that. "Wait," I said firmly, "I'm not done. What I mean to say is all the times I have gotten hurt it was on purpose and meant to cause me harm. You on the other hand…" I lightly stroked his cheek with my thumb. Darien's eyes half closed and he leaned into my hand more. "You on the other hand do not mean to hurt me. Oh, you might get angry with me or get short with me, but I have a feeling that you would apologize for it later. Because you do want to cause me harm. Those people out there don't know me and don't care what I feel. They would never apologize but you would, because for some odd reason you actually do care for me." I stopped and just gazed Darien, marveling at how smooth his skin was.

"What is it about you?" I said suddenly, intensely. "I barely know you and yet…and yet it feels as if I have known you for years. I've only met you three times, but it feels like more." I stared at him for a moment. "Why does it feel like it would harm me if you left?"

Darien just stood there for a moment, too shocked to move. Then his face softened and turned tender as he brought his other hand up to rest on my cheek. He then very hesitantly stroked my cheek.

"How is it that you have voiced my very thoughts?" Darien murmured a tender smile playing on his lips. "How is it that you feel the same for me? I find it quite strange…and wonderful. Did you think that maybe it would hurt me if you left? That if you, Rebecca Anne Wright, girl I barely know," amusement was laced into his voice, "were to leave me it would be painful for me as well? Just thinking about you walking away from me makes me shudder and quiver with pain. No, I don't believe I could let you walk away from me now." Darien's eyes and face were intense, all humor gone from his voice. And I, having gone completely still, was trying not to hyperventilate. He was absolutely serious.

"But why?" I asked still mystified. "Why pick me? Especially when you could pick any girl out there. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm glad you did pick me but I'm not exactly the most attractive girl around." I was dead serious this time. I truly did not understand it. I was nothing but a fat teenager and somehow this Adonis of a man seemed truly attracted to me.

Darien looked angry for a moment and then his expression cleared. "You must not see yourself whenever you're in front of a mirror." Darien smiled as he gathered my hands into his. "You are very beautiful to me, Rebecca, very beautiful indeed, and I have a feeling that the girls you are thinking of may be beautiful on some standards but not mine. Now I'll let you mull over that while I go find your brother and see about getting you home." Releasing my hands, Darien gave me a supremely smug smile as turned and walked away. I sat on the tailgate too limp to move.

No one has ever told me I was beautiful. I closed my eyes, reveling in the joy that seemed to make my heart swell out of my chest. Darien thought I was beautiful. I did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Feeling the joy of the moment had me forget that Derek had parked right at the fringe of the woods that bordered the lake. So I didn't see the glowing green eyes that were staring at me. I didn't realize they were there until a long clawed hand reached out and grabbed my arm pulling me into the thick brush.

I tried to scream but the other hand came and covered my mouth. I struggled as it pulled me deeper into the woods. Then the smell hit me. I gagged at the rotting stench rolling off in waves from the beast. We stopped and its other arm encircled my arms and waist, tightening its hold on me. The body I was pressed against felt more like a skeleton than flesh; all I could feel were bones and fur. Coarse hair rubbed against the back of my neck.

I started to thrash harder but the beast just tightened his hold on me further. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a long narrow snout. It opened its muzzle and I went very still. Black cracked teeth gleamed in the low light. The rotting stench intensified making me sick to the core. Then it spoke in a low growling voice. I went cold inside at the one word it spoke.

"_Mine"_

_~Thank you for your patience and I'm sorry it took so long to post this chapter. Between school and fighting virus's it took me awhile. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!~  
_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I was frozen, unable to move as the word echoed through my mind.

_Mine._

The beast continued to drag me deeper into the woods, murmuring words I couldn't understand.

The gauze had been ripped from my cheek. Fresh blood flowed freely down my face. The fresh pain unlocked my muscles and my instincts kicked in. I was not going to go down without a fight.

I started to struggle again, harder, trying to get one of my arms free so I could punch it or jab one of its eyeballs out. The beast tightened its arm around me even further, making me gasp at the fresh pain. A loud ripping noise made me pause. It took me a moment realize that the beast's claws had ripped my coat.

I was suddenly furious. It seemed so insignificant, the ripping of my coat. My _father's _coat. But after being slapped like a dog by a boy I hated and dragged through the woods by a mutant werewolf, it was the last straw. With a sudden surge of strength I freed my mouth from the beast's hand.

"Get the _freak_ OFF ME!" I screamed. I tried kicking backwards, hoping to knock one of its legs out from under it. It was like hitting steel rods.

The beast hissed. Clamping its hand back over my mouth, it spoke. "Hush, hush! It can not take from you what it needs if you are stolen away." It brought its nose to my cheek, pressing it against my bleeding scratch. And then, to my utter horror and disgust, it started to lick the blood away. It shuddered in pleasure. "Yes," it hissed. "You are very special. With you it can heal. It will be well again. But if you keep struggling, it will have to be violent. It will keep you quiet."

A rush of despair seemed to blanket me, a heavy burden settling over my mind. My knees buckled under the crushing weight of it. I slumped over the beast's arm that was wrapped around my waist. I recognized the feeling immediately. It was the same despair that had hit me earlier, only now it felt ten times worse. And it was coming from the beast.

The beast stopped in a small clearing. I could hear the lake in the distance. A small part of my brain contemplated that we were following the shoreline.

"You see?" The beast growled. "It will give you pain if you continue to struggle. It cannot lose you." It hissed violently. "They cannot take you away from me this time. You are mine. _Mine._ You will cure it."

The weight of the despair lifted and was gone. Before I could make sense of it, the bushes in front of us started trembling.

For the briefest of moments, I thought Darien had found me, but in the same moment I moaned in horror. Another beast had stepped out of the bushes.

It stepped into the moonlight and I immediately thought, _"Vanhelsing's werewolf." _It was slimmer though, compared to the movie werewolf, leaner but still moonlight turned its long, dark fur into silver. It was standing upright and it was tall, at least ten feet tall. Its face reminded me of the Egyptian god Anubis' head, a jackal. But it was rounder and the snout longer. It slowly started walking towards us, but stopped when the beast that was holding me started hissing and growling furiously.

"NO! She is MINE! Stay aways! Stay aways!" The beast tightened its hold on me to the point where I could barely breathe. The other beast had frozen and seemed to be calculating the situation.

"Let the girl go, Berisheaden." It said in a soothing growl, momentarily shocking me. "You do not wish to do this. Let the girl go and come back with me."

For the first time, I looked into the other beast's eyes. They were clear black, completely lucid. I stared at them, waiting, but what I was waiting for never came. No glowing green eyes.

The beast holding me, Berisheaden, hissed menacingly. _"Do you think it is a fool?_ Why would it go with you and be killed when it has a cure for it right here? She is a Susramuana. Her blood can cure it_."_ Berisheaden licked my cheek again, as if to put emphasis on his statement. "No, it will not let her go. She is mine. Mine, mine, mine." The other beast narrowed its eyes. It opened its mouth as if to speak when the bushes next to it trembled for half a second before my hope stepped out of the bushes.

_Darien! _I screamed in my head, desperately wanting him to hear me.

Darien was absolutely furious. I could see his eyes blazing and his face contorted in rage. He took a step towards me, his lips curled over his teeth as a blistering snarl ripped through his throat. All of sudden the other beast had his arm out, blocking Darien.

"Peace, Cold One. Your human girl will be free soon and you may both be on your way." Darien froze where he stood. His head whipped towards the beast, then back to me. It seemed to torment him, not being able to free me at that moment, but he somehow stayed in place.

"You're going to be okay, Rebecca." His voice was rough, strained, and absolutely the most wonderful thing I had ever heard. "You're going to be just fine. I won't let anything happen to you. I swear it."

At that last word, Berisheaden shrieked.

"_NO!_ NO, NO, NO, NO! SHE BELONGS TO_ ME_, COLD ONE! HER BLOOD IS_ MINE! _MINE! YOU CAN NEVER TAKE HER! SUSXUNE, COLD ONE! _SUSXUNE!!!"_

Before I could even consider about being afraid, I felt Berisheaden's arms being wrenched away. Darien was there in the same moment. I felt his arms wrap around me, and in a sudden blurring of movement, we were back by the other beast.

For the first few seconds, all I could think about were Darien's arms wrapped tightly around me, and the absolute safety I found there. But then I looked up at the sound of Berisheaden's struggles.

It was like looking at a monster from the worst horror movie you could possibly imagine.

Two other beasts each had a firm hold on Berisheaden's arms. You could tell that Berisheaden had looked like the other beasts at some point. Strong, muscular…healthy. Now he looked like anything but.

He was so emaciated that if I looked hard enough I would be able to count all of his bones. His fur was stringy and so thin in some places that you could see his skin. His face was no more than a skull with a thin layer of skin covering it. His ears were long and tapered to sharp points. His lips were curled over a long narrow snout, revealing long blackened teeth. But it was his eyes that had my attention. His eyes were glowing a sickly green color, but underneath the fierce glow I could see that his eyes were milk white.

Berisheaden thrashed violently, growling and hissing. The beast next to me waved his arm and the beasts holding Berisheaden started dragging him further into the woods.

"NO! _No, no, no, no!!"_ Berisheaden shrieked again. _"She's MINE! Mine, mine, MINE!!"_

I hid my face in Darien's chest, feeling his arms tighten around me and a growl building in his chest. I was trying very hard to ignore Berisheaden's shrieks. I didn't have to try for very long.

The beasts dragged him into the woods out of sight. A few seconds later there was a sickening thud and the sound of something heavy being dragged away. An eerie silence followed.

I started trembling uncontrollably, my whole body shaking. I heard the strangest sound moments later, a ripping noise that seemed out of place to the quiet forest background.

"Shh, shh, Rebecca. It's all right. It's over now. You're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you. It's alright. You're safe." Darien's Irish voice was more pronounced than I had ever heard it and I almost didn't understand him.

Then I realized where the noise was coming from. It was me. The ripping noises were sobs coming from me. I immediately closed my mouth and tried to calm myself down. I was freaking out though. I couldn't yet wrap my head around what had just happened.

I focused on Darien. He had his arms wrapped tightly around me, as if to shield me from anymore harm. His face was buried in my hair and he was murmuring comforting words. I didn't know if I could be comforted, though I was calming down. Darien's very presence seemed to help my nerves. I twisted my head to the side and saw the other beast staring at me, curiosity burning in his clear back eyes.

"Who are you?" I whispered hoarsely. Darien tensed and pulled me tighter against him. The beast stared at me for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to speak. I could see when he made his decision.

"I am the wolven Baroon. From the Weylied Coven." The word coven surprised me. I wasn't expecting that to come up. Baroon continued to stare at me curiously. "And who are you, child?"

I hesitated. "Rebecca Wright." A flash of recognition crossed his face.

"Rebecca Wright….Who was your mother, child?"

I hesitated again. "Leaunna Wright." I said slowly. "Why do you want to know?" It wasn't lost on me that he had used past tense instead of present. He knew the answer before I told him.

Baroon nodded to himself, as if I had given him the answer he had already known. He looked at me then intently, but I wasn't afraid of him. Some instinct seemed to tell me that he wasn't a danger to me. At least I hoped not.

Baroon took a few steps backwards until he was halfway into the bushes and then he stopped. "Because, child, I knew your mother." He gave me a wide toothy grin and then he was gone.

I stared at the spot where Baroon had disappeared. Knew my mother? I turned my head and rested it on Darien's chest. My hands tightened, clutching fistfuls of his jacket.

"Darien." I whispered.

"Yes?" Darien's voice was still rough.

"What the heck just happened?"

Darien was silent for a long moment. I leaned away a bit and looked up at him. His face was twisted in anguish.

"I…I can't…" Darien's face smoothed out into a hard mask. "I'm sorry, Rebecca. I can't…tell you." I only sighed. I didn't have the energy to be angry with him.

"Will you promise to tell me later?" It was an empty question. I somehow knew that I would have to figure this out on my own.

He nodded once. And then the hard look on his face folded into a mask of ancient sadness. "We should get you home now." I nodded slowly, trying to understand his expression.

"Brendon," I groaned. And Embri. And Lacy. And the whole freakin' soccer team. I was surprised that they weren't combing the woods looking for me.

"You don't have to worry about your brother." Darien said as he started pulling into the woods. "He thinks your somewhere in the parking lot."

It was then that I realized that I had only been missing for a few minutes. It had seemed like hours to me.

Before too long, I saw the lights from the parking area through the trees. I could hear people calling my name.

"Wait," I pulled Darien to a stop. I had enough sense about me that I knew I had to look worse than the last time they had seen me. "How do I look?" Without waiting for an answer, I looked down and started brushing myself off. I tried to straighten my coat. The rips couldn't be helped and were too big to be covered up. I felt a new surge of anger—though it was more annoyance than anything else—towards Berisheaden. I plucked a few leaves from the coat and looked up to ask Darien if I looked semi-normal. My mouth was open but my words stuck in my throat as I froze.

Darien's face was an inch away from mine. The moon shined down between the tree limbs, turning his already pale skin even whiter. Darien's eyes were burning into mine. I could barely breathe. He stared at me for an immeasurable moment and then he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

His cool breath washed over me and my mouth watered at the delicious scent that followed. It was the same spicy scent that I had smelled before.

He leaned away and opened his eyes. "You look fine, but we better take care of some of that blood." He started to unzip his jacket. I had never paid attention to what Darien wore—I was always too preoccupied with his face—but I looked now.

He shrugged out of a brown leather jacket. The long sleeved shirt he wore was brick red and fit him snugly, emphasizing his muscles on his chest and stomach. I blushed and slightly looked away.

He grabbed the bottom edge of his shirt and ripped upwards about four inches, and then he started tearing sideways until he had gone all the way around and had a long strip of cloth in his hand. He did it so fast that I didn't have time to tell him no.

"You didn't have to ruin your shirt." I muttered. He gave me a look as he shrugged back into his jacket.

Taking the strip of cloth, he walked over to a rain puddle and dipped it in the water.

"I know this is not the most sanitary thing in the world, but we need to get some of this blood off you before your brother sees you. I don't believe he needs anything more to worry about."

As Darien cleaned my face and neck—again—I watched the expressions cross his face. He had a hard look of determination on his face. Every now and then he would grimace, as if in pain, but then the determination would come back.

"There," Darien said. He looked at the now bloody cloth in his hand. He stared at it for a moment before throwing it to the ground. He looked back up at me with what seemed like a forced smile. "I didn't get all of it but you don't look like a horror movie reject anymore."

I shot him a glare that made him smile a little wider. But then my glare faded and I looked away. "I feel like a horror movie reject."

Darien was silent. We stood there for a moment before he gently took my hand and led my out of the woods. "It will be alright, Rebecca." Darien said fervently, quietly, almost to himself. "Nothing will hurt you. I swear it." From the way he said it I knew he wasn't just talking about the beasts. I opened my mouth to say something but Darien cut me off.

"She's over here!" Darien called in a clear voice, no trace of his Irish accent. We were past the woods and on the edge of the dirt parking lot. Brendon heard Darien. I saw him whirl when he heard Darien's voice. The profound relief that was on his face made me feel slightly guilty, even though I couldn't have prevented myself from getting kidnapped by a mutant werewolf. Embri, Lacy, and Derek were right behind Brendon, their faces mirroring his. Embri and Lacy passed Brendon, came up to me, and engulfed me in bear hugs.

"Rebecca Anne Wright. If you ever scare me like that again," Embri threatened, "I will personally beat you up."

"I second that." Lacy said. Both of them were trembling. I just closed my eyes and clutched them closer, thankful that I had such wonderful friends. Brendon and Derek stayed back, but by the look on their faces they wanted to join in.

"Where did you go?" Brendon demanded. "Did you know how worried I was? I thought Bryan had somehow snuck back and did something to you." I almost smiled at the mention of Bryan. He was definitely at the bottom of my list of worries.

"I'm sorry, Brendon." I gave him a tired smile. "After Darien went to go get you, I thought I had heard someone crying in the woods. There was no one there that I could find, but I got turned around in the forest. Darien found me and you know the rest." It sounded pretty good to me. Feasible. Until Brendon's next words.

"_You_ got lost in the _woods?"_ He said disbelieving, his eyebrows shooting up.

"It happens." I snapped. I wasn't in the mood to be second guessed, even if I was lying. But then I sighed and softened my voice. "I am mentally and physically tired, Bro. So, yes, I did get lost." He gave me an apologetic look.

I heard a small intake of breath from Lacy. I looked down and saw her staring at the rips in my coat.

"Oh no, Rebecca." Lacy said in sorrow. "Your dad's coat…there are rips in it." Darien, who had walked off to the side, turned his head towards me."

"Yeah, I know." I said wearily. The one thing I had left of my fathers and it was ruined. "It caught on some branches, while I was trying to be a Good Samaritan."

"Rebecca," Darien's smooth voice cut in. I turned and looked at him. "My sister, Brin—the one you talked to on the phone this morning—may be able to repair your coat."

"She's good with clothes?" I asked hopefully.

"Very," He replied ruefully. "She's an amazing seamstress, and she's been a miracle worker in the past. Brin will probably enjoy fixing it." He held out his hand then, silently asking for permission to take the coat.

I bit my lip, deliberating. Making up my mind, I gently shrugged out of my coat, noticing the blood stains, and handed Darien the coat.

"Thank you," I said fervently. "And even if she can't fix it, don't throw it away. It has a lot of memories attached to it, and I would rather not lose it."

Darien folded the coat over his arm. "Don't worry. I'll make sure it's properly taken care of."

Darien stared at me intently for a moment before his face once again folded into a mask of ancient sadness. I couldn't understand it, these mood swings.

"I'll…see you soon, Rebecca." Darien stared at me for a moment longer before turning and going back to his car.

"See you," I whispered. I was suddenly exhausted, just barely able to keep my eyes open. I was only just conscious of someone draping their coat over my shoulders.

I was dimly aware of Derek and Lacy saying goodbye and Embri holding me up as Brendon got the car. The next twenty minutes were an indistinct blur. I vaguely remembered telling Brendon in slurred words to just drop me off at the house before he took Embri home. I got vehement refusals from both of them. I thought I was slightly offended but my protest was too garbled to be intelligent. I slipped off to sleep again.

I woke up again when someone gently placed me on a chair. I blinked a few times.

"What—"

"Shh," Brendon said. "I'm going to clean your cheek up and bandage it. I need to disinfect it first. Who knows what kind of diseases you could get by just being near Bryan."

It was then that I realized that I was in the upstairs bathroom and the chair I was sitting on was the toilet. Brendon must have carried me upstairs. Poor Bro.

I sat still as Brendon cleaned my check, not bothering to say that Darien had already disinfected it. I was thinking of Breisheaden licking the wound. I suddenly wanted some steel wool.

Brendon finished by placing an oversized band-aid over the gash. He then proceeded to pick me up—I sputtered and protested but it was useless—and took me to my room. He set me on my feet near the bed and then backed away a few steps.

I stood there at the bed for a moment, knowing that I didn't want to fall asleep with my jeans on, but on the other hand, collapsing on the bed this second sounded pretty darn good.

"Are you going to be okay, Rebecca?" Brendon asked quietly. I was so tired that for a brief second I thought he was talking about me getting dragged into the woods, but then I realized he was talking about Bryan.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. I can deal with Bryan." I told him truthfully. Bryan wasn't a problem anymore. I had found a new extreme in my problems.

"Alright…if you're sure." He started to back out of the room slowly.

He was going so slow that I got angry. I wanted to go to bed. Badly.

"Look, Brendon, I am fine, but I am very, very tired and I cannot go to bed until you leave this room. Because I have to get_ undressed_ to go to _bed._"

A small smile flickered across his face at my tone. "Goodnight, Sis." And then he quickly left the room.

I grabbed my pajamas of the floor and quickly undressed. I gasped as I pulled my sweatpants on, realizing for the first time of the soreness in my arms. I remembered how tightly Berisheaden had held me. I would have bruises before the night was over. I slipped on my white tank top, thankful that I didn't have to wrestle with sleeves.

I sank onto the bed and pulled the sheet and quilt over me. The events of the night were starting to surface with full force. I didn't bother to turn the light off. The dark would be a little to much for me right now. Flashes of Berisheaden's face bombarded my mind.

I curled in on myself, trying to block out the nightmares. Soon, and thankfully, dark oblivion took me.

_~Thanks for being patient! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, reviews would be appreciated! _


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I woke to dull light filtering through my window. I didn't get up right away, just lying in bed waiting for the sleep to wear off. I noticed that someone—probably Brendon—had turned my light off sometime during the night.

The light coming in through the window was wrong, not the usual yellow of a sunny day. I groaned as I sat up and walked over to the window, every part of my upper body aching. I grabbed the glass pane and threw it open.

Cold winter wind blasted my face. I closed my eyes and let the chill seep into my skin and sooth my aches and pains. It was better than any ice-pack.

Properly awake, I opened my eyes and looked up into the sky. Thick, dark grey clouds covered the normally blue sky, seeming to enfold the sun, explaining the odd light coming into my room. I stared at the clouds and an odd sense of peace came over me. The clouds brought a strange comfort to me.

I pushed away from the window and walked over to my dresser. I grabbed a clean shirt and jeans, and headed for the bathroom.

Out in the hallway, I heard voices drifting up from downstairs. Probably the family eating breakfast in the kitchen.

I quietly closed the bathroom door. I stood there for a moment as a wave of homesickness rolled over me. Family. Even after six years the loss of my family hit me with fresh agony. No matter how hard Will and Brendon tried, I was not a part of their family. And I never would be. I was an orphan that happened to be lucky, and that was all there was to it.

I shoved my depressing thoughts to the back of my mind. It was an internal battle I would never win, and usually I would fight it even if I new the outcome. But today I needed my mental strength for something else.

I threw my pajamas in the hamper and evaluated the damage. Where Berisheaden had gripped me across the waist and arms, was one long black and purple bruise. It was if someone had dipped a brush in black ink and did one long stroke. I tore the oversized band-aid off my cheek, checking the scratch. It really wasn't as bad as it first appeared. It was a little deeper than I had thought but it wouldn't need stitches. More like a really big cat had scratched me than a demented jock's ring running across my face. Dried blood was still in my hair from where it had touched my cheek.

As I stepped into the shower an image of Berisheaden licking the blood off my face came into my mind. I shuddered and quickly turned the hot water on.

I felt myself relax the moment the water hit me. The familiar scent of my shampoo comforted me more. I let the water run over me until it turned cold. I stepped out and quickly dried myself off, pulling on a pair of old jeans and sweater. I stopped in front of the mirror and ran the towel through my hair. I looked at myself in the mirror. Darien had said I was beautiful…I had never considered myself pretty, let alone beautiful. But I studied my reflection in the glass, trying to see what Darien saw.

My hair, dark blonde and naturally curly, was thick and went past my shoulders in waves. My eyes were a light grey-green in color, like moss. I was pale—had always been pale, even when exposed to sunlight for long periods—but I didn't look sickly. I was tall for a girl; a healthy five foot ten. Instead of seeing myself as fat I saw myself as…shapely, a nice figure. I sighed and walked out the door. I was at least pretty, but not beautiful.

I sat on my bed and pulled on my black hiking boots. It was time for me to think on things and if I was even going to try to make sense over what had happened last night I needed to be out of the house. It wouldn't do anyone any good if I had a nervous breakdown around the family. I grabbed my hoody and snuck down the stairway out through the back door without being noticed.

The Robinton's lived at the very edge of the North Carolina town, Boone. They weren't so far out as to be considered 'not' living in town, but far enough away that they had a state park for a backyard, which was where I was headed. Thick brush was the barrier between the Robinton's winter lawn and the thick Carolina woods. I walked along the bushes until I came to a particular spot. I didn't hesitate as I pushed back the brush, revealing a trail leading into the woods. The dirt trail was narrow and lead through the woods a good seven miles. Six years with no social life meant having something entertaining to do.

I shoved my hands into my hoody and set off onto the trail. Moments later a huge live oak tree came into view, its branches still laden with green leaves. The branches hung low, twisting and snarling in every direction. At the base of the tree was a small dirt patch, the roots shaping into a circle as if to enclose it. I sat down within the circle, bringing my knees up to my chest and leaning back against the trunk. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, allowing myself to think on what had happened during the past two weeks.

I started with Darien and the feelings I had for him. I stopped for a moment. What were my feelings for him? I cared about him, that much was definite. But how _much_ did I care about him? I thought about him leaving, or telling him I didn't want to see him again. I went through several scenarios. All of them ended with my heart burning at the notion of leaving him, a hot searing pain that coursed through my veins.

But then I started thinking of last night. The snarls that had ripped through his throat were not the human kind. Darien had moved with blinding speed as well. Ten feet in a millisecond wasn't exactly human either. I started thinking of the old man I had met in the bookstore. Were vampires real? If so, was Darien one? I couldn't ask him directly…or could I?

There was so little that I knew about him. He has a sister and he's Irish, and apparently he hates Mustangs. But that was it. Did he have more siblings? What about his mother and father? If they had the Mustang GT were they rich? So many questions and only one person could answer them.

My recent dreams started to creep into my mind. What could they mean? I thought of the dagger and what its significance could indicate. The runes on the blade were the things that disturbed me, though I couldn't explain that either. Darien being there certainly had to have some importance on the dream. And he wasn't a happy camper. He had been trying to break free from those arms that were securing him. He had tried to protect me. The beast of course was another important factor. Another piece I couldn't figure out.

And then there were the…wolvens. That was what that one beast named Baroon had called himself. It was…unnerving—to say the least—to see those…creatures in the woods. The starved looking one…Berisheaden…had attacked me for some purpose. He had called me special. I had the feeling that I didn't want to be special. I also had the feeling that Berisheaden had been the one in the bushes that night I had first met Darien. There was obviously a strong conflict between the two of them.

That word Berisheaden had spoken…sus…xune. Susxune. I felt a flash of panic at the word. I shouldn't understand it. I shouldn't even comprehend it. But there was an undenieability about the familiarity of the word. Susra…mua…na. Susramuana also had a recognizable ring to it. And that…disturbed me more than anything.

And what the heck was up with the beast Baroon saying he knew my mother. How was I supposed to process that of all things? It's not as if I could go up to mom and confirm it. Being dead kind of put a damper on things like that. And even if I could what would I say? 'Hey mom, I heard you run with monsters! You wanna tell me about that?'

The more I thought about it the more crazy it seemed. What if Darien was a vampire? What about other creatures? Even if Darien turns out to be a regular human the wolvens are proof enough that there are supernatural beings out there. Werewolves, shapeshifters, and other creatures popped into my head.

I sighed in frustration. I was starting to feel as if I needed to check myself into a loony bin. I wasn't coming up with answers. I was coming up with more questions. There were so many puzzle pieces but I was missing the crucial one that would fit them all together.

I groaned and let my head fall onto my knees.

I hated puzzles.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The weekend was pure torture. After my useless brainstorming, I had gone back to the house and locked myself in my room, only immerging to find food and only when no one was around.

Sunday came and I went to church. It was a relief in some ways, and a burden in others. The preacher had a good sermon prepared and it was nice to sit and talk to Embri and Lacy. But when the sermon ended and the pianist was playing the closing song, I escaped the crowd of people exiting the church with just barely getting by with a few farewells. I knew I wasn't in the mood for deep socializing and I didn't want to answer the questions that my oversized band-aid would bring up. Embri and Lacy, sensing my mood, helped me escape.

I was opening my car door when I heard a tap on the cars roof.

"Mind if I ride with you?" I looked up to see Brendon standing on the passenger's side. Glancing over to the main lot, I saw the rest of the Robinton family piling into their sedan. "Aurielle is in one of her moods and I'd rather not put up with it." He added nonchalantly. I rolled my eyes. His twin was always in one of her moods.

"Sure, hop in." I knew the real reason he wanted to ride with me, and it had nothing to do with his sister. He wanted to know if I was alright from Friday night. I decided to brace myself for the worst.

But surprisingly, the worst never came. We sat in compianable silence as the road flashed by. I relaxed into my seat and let my mind wander to other things.

"You looked nice this morning." Brendon said out of the blue. I blinked a few times in surprise and looked down to what I was wearing.

I wore a long sleeved, crimson red dress that came down to just above my knees. The black high heels I had on were a bit fancier than the other pair I had, but still reserved. My hair was up in a twist with a few curls hanging here and there framing my face. I had a little makeup on but nothing extravagant.

"Thanks," I murmured, blushing. Brendon smiled a little.

"It's too bad Darien wasn't there this morning." He threw in casually. I pretended that I didn't hear him. His smile grew wider.

As we walked up the pathway to the house, I noticed that the others had beaten us here. "Will drives like a lunatic." I muttered to Brendon, bracing myself as I opened the door.

He laughed. "You know dad. When there's food waiting, he'll go to any lengths to get to it."

The smell of lasagna greeted us as we walked through the door. Brendon went straight to the kitchen, but paused in the doorway to wait for me. I walked to the foot of the stairs and kicked off my high heels, setting my keys and Bible down next to them. Brendon gave me an encouraging smile as I walked over to him and we went into the kitchen.

Aurielle and Lilly Fae were sitting at the family table; Lilly was texting, oblivious to everything, and Aurielle sat staring at nothing. Maria Robinton was at the stove stirring something. Will wasn't in the room, which made me cringe internally. Stuck in a room with all of the Robinton females with no one but Brendon for a shield was not ideal for me.

"Well, well, well, it looks like her royal highness has decided to grace us with her presence." Aurielle drawled. "We're honored, really. Oh, wait. No we're not. Why would we be honored by the Queen of the Freaks?" Lilly started snickering and I felt Brendon start to tense like a coiled wire. I put a restraining hand on his arm.

"Why, Aurielle," I said sweetly; she was immediately on edge. "You looked absolutely lovely this morning. I'm surprised the crows weren't flocking to you." Aurielle's eyes narrowed, as if she was trying to process the insult. And just to make it clear, I continued in the same overly sweet voice, "I mean, crows can sense a witch within a fifty mile radius. I'm surprised there weren't waves of them." Aurielle's face turned a shade redder than my dress. She opened her mouth for a comeback when Maria broke it up.

"That's enough girls. Be nice." Maria didn't have to turn around and look at me; I could hear the ice in her voice that she reserved only for me. She turned and looked at me, and her eyes were as hard as stone, a false smile plastered on her face. "We're having lasagna for lunch. Does that sound good to you, Rebecca?"

"Yeah, that sounds good…mom." The word burned in my mouth, but I could still feel the sting of the slap I had received when I had last been defiant. Maria had a deep seated hate for me that I didn't understand and I didn't try too.

Brendon had calmed down enough to go sit at the table with his sisters. I knew better. I walked over to where Maria was cooking. Even though they were excused from work, I knew I wasn't.

"Do you need any help, mom?"

"Sure, dear. Fix some glasses of ice." I winced at the dear but went to the cupboard that was hiding the glasses. I was filling them when Maria spoke.

"By the way, Rebecca, what happened to your face?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Brendon tense, but strangely I wasn't worried. I had been expecting the question sooner or later. I was kind of hard to hide an oversized band-aid that was plastered to your face. "I scratched it Friday at Brendon's party. It's no big deal." I didn't turn to look at her and to Maria that was a sign of disrespect. I heard her put down her spoon and turn to me. I held my breath but then quickly released it when Will walked into the room. She couldn't harass me when Will was here.

"Man, that smells good!" Will exclaimed as he came up behind his wife and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Why is it that you never cook for me all the time?"

Maria looked up at her husband with a tender smile. "Because I have to work too, silly." Will gave her an adoring smile and wrapped her in his arms.

It was surprisingly easy to see the warmth and love Maria had for her family. She doted on them hand and foot, gave her little princesses whatever they wanted, and showered them with love. I wasn't surprised to realize I didn't want any of that affection. She treated me as the leper of the family and I returned the sentiments whenever I could.

We all sat at the table when the meal was finally done. Brendon sat to my right and Will left, at the head of the table. Maria sat across from me with Aurielle next to her and Lilly Fae on the other side of Brendon. Usual family meals consisted of the family discussing different matters, while I sat in the corner quietly, occasionally making a few remarks. Only Will and Brendon made an effort to include me on some conversations. So I was surprised when Maria asked me a question.

"What are your plans for tomorrow, Rebecca?"

I gave her a cautious look. "After school, I have to go to work. Why?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you had any plans to go out with your boyfriend." Maria said casually. The whole room seemed to freeze over. "I mean, a _normal_ girl would be seeing her new beau every day,"

_Normal girl._ I didn't miss the emphasis she put on that, and I would be lying if I said that it didn't affect me. But I was used to Maria's game and I knew she was trying to get Will angry with me. What I didn't know was how she found out about Darien. I just leaned back in my chair and smiled. Her smug expression faltered.

Will had stopped eating and had dropped his fork. He was looking at me as if he didn't know whether to be angry or not. "You've been dating, Rebecca?" His voice wasn't quite dangerously low, but it was pretty close. "How long have you been seeing him?"

Before I could answer, Lilly broke in. "_You_ have a _boyfriend?_ He must be blind or ugly beyond belief to even consider dating_ you._" Oh, the wonders a cheerleader brings to a family. Aurielle wasn't saying anything; just smoldering in her chair.

"Lilly." Will had gotten down to the dangerously low voice and Lilly was smart enough to hear it.

"I'm not exactly…dating him." I tried to explain. "And I wouldn't say that he's my boyfriend. I've only met him three times. The first two were kind of accidents. I invited him to Brendon's party Friday, so I guess you could say that was our fist date."

"Have you seen this boy, Brendon?" Will no longer sounded like he was going to kill someone and had started eating again.

Brendon seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, I met him. He seemed like a good guy. Rufus and Derek liked him. Rufus actually gave him high points."

I quirked an eyebrow. That was new to me.

Will was chewing thoughtfully. "What's his name?" He asked after he swallowed.

"Darien Asimn." I thought I heard a hiss come from Aurielle's way, but I ignored it.

"Do like this…Darien?"

I thought for a moment, so the answer would be true. "Yeah, yeah I do. I think I like him a lot."

Will pursed his lips in thought, and then gave me a small smile. "Well then, I guess you'll have to bring him home one day."

I smiled back. "I guess I will."

Dinner ended with a furious Maria instructing Lilly to go wash the dishes. I walked up the stairs, fully intending to take a nap, and my hand was on my doorknob when someone called my name.

"Rebecca." I turned to see Aurielle standing in the hallway, her hands on her hips, and a scowl marring her pretty face. I had to wonder how Brendon's twin could be so unlike him. He was sweet, kind, and funny. She was sour, cruel, and seemed to hate everything. It was as if Brendon had gotten the lighter side of the family, and Aurielle the darker. Literally. Brendon was blonde with grey-blue eyes. Aurielle had dark brown hair and eyes the color of dark indigo. The only thing they had in common were their tans.

"What is it Aurielle. I'm tired and would like to take a nap."

Aurielle's scowl deepened. "Jessica told me what happened Friday night. That Darien is too good for you. She said you had to be paying him to act as your boyfriend or something. And she also told me what happened to Bryan. How could you let Brendon punch him!?" She hissed. "Bryan has some interest in you—God knows why—and you should return the feeling by getting rid of that fake you have! Really, Rebecca! Do you not know a good man when you see one!?"

So many,_ many_ thoughts crossed my mind—many of them violent—but one in particular came to mind, something Darien had said. _Ignorance is bliss._ In this case it was pure stupidity.

"A good man?" My voice was flat and the look on my face must have been something else because Aurielle actually took a step back. "Let me give you some free intel, Aurielle. One, Darien is _not_ a paid boyfriend, he's real. Something I doubt you'll ever know. Two, Bryan is a filthy, animalistic dog that should be spayed and neutered. And Three, you and Jessica are extremely stupid cheerleaders that will probably get yourselves pregnant by the end of the school year. And if you want to pursue Bryan, you go ahead. Let me know how dating an abusive, psychopath rapist goes." I then turned and slammed the door shut on Aurielle's stunned face.

* * * * *

Morning brought clouds and an unusual chill to the air. The cold stayed throughout the day and with it the wind. All the teenagers complained, and whined over it. I loved it. I thrived on the cold and wind, and there was no sun to glare in my eyes.

School wasn't so bad. Embri and Lacy were pretty much always at my side. We laughed and joked and even teased some of the soccer jocks, which then they would laugh good naturedly or some of the shyer ones would blush—which would then cause us to start busting up laughing. But underneath the laughing and jokes was tension. The soccer jocks we were teasing were my assigned bodyguards—and because Embri and Lacy were now seeing Brendon and Derek, they were assigned to them as well. They followed us around after every class, and just about the whole soccer team would sit with us at lunch. I didn't have to guess to know why they were assigned guard duty.

Hostile stares were aimed at me and my oversized band-aid. Apparently, word had spread about what had happened Friday night, and it was the wrong word. The only looks that weren't hostile were from girls who had known Bryan a little too personally. By the end of the day, I was a coiled spring ready to snap.

Bryan was a no show today. An image of him sitting at home, nursing his broken nose popped into my head. I smiled wickedly at the thought.

"You're going straight to work once you get into that car, aren't you?" The towering soccer jock next to me asked. I rolled my eyes and looked up at him.

"Yes, Rufus. I'm going straight to work and then straight home afterwards. My gosh, it's like I've got a protective pack of wolves surrounding me. One evil eye and you all start snarling." I was only half joking. Several times today, when someone would give me a nasty look, Rufus or some other 'bodyguard' would give them such a glare it would send the offender scurrying off.

Rufus' eyes glittered mischievously and he gave me a wolfish grin.

I couldn't help but study Rufus out of the corner of my eye. Rufus was a towering six foot eight and looked as if he belonged in a college then a high school. His hair was ink black and cut short so that it spiked in every direction. His eyes were a breathtaking indigo blue. He wasn't gangly either. Muscles rippled whenever he walked, making all the girls swoon after him, but he didn't look like some guy on steroids, or some mutant. Handsome devil that he was, he was only like a brother to me—maybe even more so than Brendon.

I smiled as I remembered my freshman year. Rufus, along with Brendon, had taken it upon themselves to protect me from the seniors. The rest of the soccer team soon fell in line and it soon felt as if I was the only girl in an all boy family.

"What are you smiling at?" Rufus asked, amused.

"Oh, nothing. Just remembering something." My smile grew wider.

"Right," he drawled. We made our way to my car and I watched Embri and Lacy get into their rides before I tried to get into mine. Maybe the soccer jock's protectiveness was wearing off on me.

"Listen, Rebecca…" I looked at Rufus and his strange tone of voice. "You're okay, right? I mean about what happened Friday?" Rufus shifted his feet. "We're all kind of worried about you."

I quirked one of my eyebrows. "Yes, I'm fine about what happened with Bryan." I didn't quite want to say I was fine about Friday night, considering that _other_ thing that had happened.

Rufus narrowed his eyes, as if he didn't quite believe me. "You're sure?"

I was suddenly angry. "Yes, I am fine! You can go tell the others that I'm fine as well. And don't even think about pitying me, and if I get a _hint_ of it I can tell you right now that you'll be the first one with a pink paintball in the chest in the practice war game."

He looked at me in disbelief. "You wouldn't."

"Oh yes. I would." I grinned viciously. "And you know it."

"Fine," Rufus rumbled.

I smiled gently and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you mean well, brother, but what I need from you is to just be there for me and be happy. Not pitying me or feeling sorry. Alright?" He grunted an accent before letting out a tentative smile.

"Good." My smile widened before slipping into a frown. I could feel heat radiating from under my hand where it rested on his arm. "Are you alright, Rufus? You feel a little hot."

Rufus' smile slipped from his face. He shrugged his shoulders. "I feel fine." He was tense now. I moved my hand to his forehead.

"Rufus! You're burning up!" The skin under my hand felt like open flames. "How in the world could you feel fine!?"

He turned his head away from my hand and let out a nervous laugh. "Your hands are like ice. I'm fine, trust me."

"If you say so." I briefly remembered when Brendon had had a fever. He had gone loco and started saying that fairies were in the room and there was a goblin in the closet. Rufus obviously wasn't delusional.

I opened the car door and sat inside. "Rufus, what exactly did you say to Darien Friday night?"

Rufus' humor came back into his eyes. "Well now, that's for me to know and you to never find out."

"That's exceedingly helpful." I muttered. He just laughed.

"All things considered, I don't believe you'll have to worry about Darien. I have a feeling he means exactly what he says when he says he cares about you."

I smiled, slightly comforted. I closed my door and started the engine. Rufus tapped on the window.

"Just as an after thought, but I believe Darien is a lucky guy. You're a one in a million girl Rebecca, don't forget that." He smiled when I blushed. "And it goes the other way around to. Darien is special. I believe you two are meant for each other. Don't let him slip away."

As cheesy as that last sentence was, Rufus said it with such seriousness I didn't laugh.

"See you later, Beck."

"Sure, bye Rufus." I watched him walk off before pulling out of the parking lot and driving to work.

* * * * * *

Fifteen minutes later I was sitting in the car in front of 'HARRY'S HARDWARE, FEED, and BOARDING.' The store in front of me was an old building with white paint flaking off the sides, doors that you couldn't tell were doors, and an old Pepsi advertisement on the side. A ramp led up to the doors and a spacious porch. The whole place though had a neat and orderly feeling to it. Off to the far left of the store were the stables.

Unlike the store, the stables were huge. Fifty stalls, four grooming stalls, two tack rooms, and a nice sized feed room dominated the barn. It was one long rectangle with aged cedar siding and silver tin roof. A beautiful place framed by over a hundred acres of rolling pasture lands at the foothills of the Appalachians. Large moss covered oak trees dotted the fields and horses grazed on winter grass. A good sized field lay in front of the stables. A few stallions that Harry owned ran across turf, racing each other in dominance.

I smiled in contentment. Everything was peaceful and quiet.

"What in blazes do you think you're doin' lazing around in that car!? Your shift is in to minutes and we've got a big feed shipment comin' in any second! Get off your butt girl and get to work!"

My smile turned rueful as I stepped out of the car. Semi-peaceful anyway. Once I was out of the car I stood at attention and saluted the short-barely-five-foot-tall, red head of a woman who was standing on the porch, her hands on her hips. "Yes, Mam!"

Harriet Brower tried to give me a firm look, but failed miserably, succumbing to a smile. She wagged a finger at me. "Get to work girl. No dilly-dallying on the job." She then turned on her heel and walked off.

"I never do!" I called after her as I jogged up the ramp and into the store. I was greeted by the sweet smells of feed and the not so sweet smell of hardware. Tyler was behind the desk looking at the horse de-wormers; he gave me an absent wave. I ran to the lockers in the backroom and started shoving my things inside, including my jacket. A big feed shipment meant over four hundred bags of stock feed, ranging from horse to goats, plus a possibility of mineral salt and electrolytes. All would be fifty pounds a bag. Tyler was the only other employee here. Which meant we'd have to split the bags fifty-fifty.

Awesome.

* * * * * *

I fell down into the chair in front of the moneybox four hours later. Harry had ordered an extra one hundred bags of horse feed and had forgotten to inform her employees. Tyler and I had had our hands full. It took three hours to get it all unloaded and organized and another hour to catalogue it all. Tyler had muttered through the whole process that he should just quit and find an easier job. I had laughed and joked that he was going to let a girl beat him at heavy lifting. He shut up then and picked up the pace.

I sat at the desk and waited for some late customers. It was an hour and a half away form closing but sometimes someone would come in with a late errand. I flexed my neck from side to side, trying to relieve some tension, when Harry came up and took a seat next to me.

"You and Tyler sure did take your time unloading that feed."

"No thanks to you." I accused. I glared at her but there was no weight to it.

She cracked a smile and shrugged. "Must have slipped my mind." Her smile went away and she studied me. "Now are you going to tell me what that's about?" She pointed to the band-aid.

I started playing with the cashbox. "Just scratched it Friday at Brendon's party. No big deal."

"Uh-huh." She stared at me for a while longer before shrugging her shoulders again. "If you don't want to tell me fine. You've been working with me long enough I can tell your mood swings apart." I started to protest, but she held up her hand. "That's enough of that. I've got to ask you something anyway.

"Jack, my exercise boy is sick so I gave him the week off. I just found out earlier today that he got emitted to the hospital with pneumonia. I can't ride anymore because of my back and Tyler, poor boy, has no talent with the animals. I wanted you to ride them. I figured you're the best one to do it around here and I wouldn't have to hire another rider."

"Yeah, I'll do it." Working horses would be a luxury compared to the desk job. "Do you have a list of the horses I'll be working?"

"I do." She reached into her back pocket and brought out a folded piece of paper. "Watch out for Frankie. He's been acting a little skittish lately."

Little skittish my foot. "Skittish as in suicidal to ride him skittish, or skittish as in he may look at a trash can the wrong way skittish?"

She smiled. "I wouldn't say suicidal, just watch yourself while you're on him." She let out a sigh. "Honestly I should never have got him, but he's a good jumper and I couldn't stand the fact that they were going to him send to be dog food. It's not his fault he had to be born a Thoroughbred race horse."

I glanced up from reading the list. "You don't want me to jump him do you? I'm a crappy English rider as it is."

"No, no," Harry said laughing, "just take him on the trails or ride him in one of the pastures. You could even lunge if you want to. As long as he gets some of that energy out of him I don't care what you do."

"Naw," I drawled as I scanned over the list one more time. Frankie was on Friday. Well if something happened it would be on the weekend. "I'll just do it the old fashioned way."

"Have it your way." Harry said. The bell rang over the door of the store and three women walked in. Harry stood up. "Anyway you do it, just get it done." She then turned and walked out to the feed room.

I had to hide a smile. Harry was not a people person. How she decided to run a store is a mystery to me.

I could feel the tension leave me as I mapped out what exercise routine I wanted to do for each horse. The only thing that would make this better would be Darien stopping by.

Tyler was nowhere to be found and the customers were looking a little lost. I sighed as I stood up, placing a smile on my face as I walked around the counter.

"Hello! Is there anything I could help you with?"

Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

_~Thanks for the patience!!~_


End file.
